APA 7
- Include the DOI as a full https link whenever one exists
- No database name is needed for articles from common academic databases
- List up to 20 authors; with 21 or more, give the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article in sentence case. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), first-last. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/yyyy
Kwan, L., & Ortiz, D. (2021). Sleep debt and working memory in first-year students. Journal of College Health, 69(3), 214-229. https://doi.org/10.1000/jch.2021.0214MLA 9
MLA names the database as a second container, abbreviates months, and shortens the second page number where the hundreds digit is unchanged.
Chen, Wei, and Nadia Ali. "Reading Aloud in the Composition Classroom." College Composition, vol. 71, no. 2, 2020, pp. 108-27. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1000/cc.2020.108.Chicago
Note: 3. Daniel Roth, "Freight and Famine," Journal of African History 59, no. 3 (2018): 401.
Bibliography: Roth, Daniel. "Freight and Famine." Journal of African History 59, no. 3 (2018): 395-420.Where to find each element
- The article's first page or the database landing page carries volume, issue and pages
- The DOI usually appears on the article's first page or the publisher page, not the PDF file name
- Use the journal's full official name, not the database's abbreviation
- Preprints are cited as preprints, with the repository named - they have not been peer reviewed
Key takeaways
- Element order: authors, year, title, journal, volume(issue), pages, DOI
- Always include a DOI when the article has one
- MLA treats the database as a second container
- Cite preprints as preprints, not as published articles