introducing an article in an essay apa

How To Introduce An Article In An Essay (APA Style)

Table of Contents

Writing is easy, writing well that can get the message across is hard. From students and novice writers to seasoned professionals, writers struggle with getting the right tone, language, and content in their writing. In academic writing, the most common issue is the authenticity of what was written in the essay or a journal. This is where referencing style and methods come in handy.

Multiple referencing styles are used by academia, by both novice writers and skilled authors. Through special development, these referencing styles have matured and covered multiple bases for the writers and assessors of the articles and essays.

In this blog, we will explore the idea of referencing in journals and essays, some popular referencing styles, and then help you with introducing an article in an essay through APA style .

Referencing In Journals And Essays

When you are writing a narrative or descriptive essay, there is hardly a need to provide any proof or reference as to where a specific idea or thought came from. Much of the contents of the essays will be personal and subjective and the quality of writing will be determined by other factors. However, things will be different when the focus of the essay will be neutral or objective.

For instance, argumentative and expository essays do not have any space for emotions, personal opinions, and views. Their sole focus is to convey factual information through arguments and evidence. This is where writers may need another established source to strengthen their positions. This is where the need for referencing comes to the fore.

Still, it is not enough to personally write the name of the book and that of its author to settle the matter. The practice should follow a standard so that any scholar from anywhere around the world can access the source.

Popular Referencing Styles

The need for a specific standard has produced more than one result. These days, there are many referencing styles in practice where writers follow the instructions of their teachers and instructors. Again, the need for references and a style comes at a more advanced stage of academic life. That’s why students are often more capable and able to master the craft with ease. In this section, we will cover some of the most common referencing styles that are used in academia.

American Psychological Association (APA)

American Psychological Association (APA) is the most sophisticated and developed method of referencing. It is widely used in science and technical subjects. The practice was first developed and started by psychologists in American universities – hence the name! The most common subjects that take advantage of the system include Psychology, Chemistry, and so on. It consists of both in-line and dedicated bibliography with all the relevant citations and references.

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Chicago-turabian citation style.

Chicago-Turabian style of referencing is another major player in the citations game. It is often favored by teachers and instructors in schools and colleges. When it comes to the difficulty and complexity of the system, it comes somewhere between APA and MLA styles. There are many universities across the world that follow this style of journals and essays. Students can learn the craft using tutorials online.

Structure & Formatting For Journal Article References

In this section, we will cover the structure and formatting of journals for article references. Students in colleges and universities need to cover essential ground before finalizing their essays. As for the APA style, it is consistent and standardized across the board.

If students find it hard to rise to the challenge, PerfectEssay provides exceptional essay-writing services to its clients. You can pay a nominal price to get a submission-ready article or essay with clear and relevant references.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Magazine Articles

When you are writing an article for a magazine, the structure and formatting of that article are similar to a specialist journal. All the general formatting rules and guidelines will also apply. The main difference comes with the date of publication – the addition of a month in the reference.

Newspaper Articles

There are hardly any differences between journal and newspaper articles in referencing styles. The name of the author, the title of the article, and all the things in the reference remain the same. However, writers need to add the page number of the newspaper along with the name of the newspaper.

Articles With Two Authors

It might be confusing for students to cover a reference with multiple authors. In APA style, the way to cover the names of both authors is to add the first initial of one author, then add an ampersand and add the last name and initial of the other author.

Up To Twenty Authors

The format to cover the references for articles with up to twenty authors is the same as that of two authors. All students need to know to add a comma between the names of different authors, preceded by an ampersand. The format is the same for up to twenty authors for a journal.

When compared with other referencing styles, APA is the most difficult and complex referencing and citation style in academia. The most common issue that scholars face revolves around switching the format and length of the title based on the size of the work. Also, it is necessary to mention the names of all the authors in references, even up to 20, but that is not the case with MLA.

The process for mentioning an article in an essay has been covered in the body of our blog. There are many similarities in the style but with a major difference – the journal article needs to mention the date of publication and volume, whereas the newspaper article needs to state the page number for the said article.

The introduction is the most important section of an essay or an article. When you are working on an APA article, it is necessary to start the introduction with a new page. There is no need to provide any heading to that and ensure that the title of the article or essay is stated in upper and lower cases. Then the text should start with no break between the sections, except the paragraphs.

This is one of the perplexing things that students face in writing essays and journal articles. We have gone through the whole process in the relevant section of the blog. Still, if you are not satisfied, here is the key: introduce with the author’s last name and then the initial of the first name. Then comes the date of publication in parentheses. The rest of the structure for the reference remains the same.

APA format is rigid in its approach and application. When a teacher or instructor asks students to follow a certain style, they must abide by the rules to ensure maximum scores. Otherwise, they will end up with deducted marks leading to overall poor grades.

The italicization of article titles is not necessary for APA style. Capitalization is a must and you need to italicize titles for works with longer names, including books and journals. As for the shorter works such as journal articles and essays, there is no need to bother and use standard formatting for them.

Closing Remarks

Writing an essay alone is hard, but when we add referencing and citation to the mix, it becomes something else altogether. That’s the main reason many students do not even bother to learn the referencing style for both in-line and bibliography references. This blog has shed ample light on the structure, formatting, and different iterations of the APA referencing style. It is a complex one, compared to its counterparts. That’s why it is limited to the more sophisticated and technical lines of study and research.

For scholars who are interested in learning the foundations or familiarizing themselves with the APA style, this is the perfect source to get started. However, for those who are looking for a way out, PerfectEssay can be the ultimate savior of the day. We have a team of writers with advanced degrees in their relevant disciplines and extensive experience in writing for the best colleges and universities across the nation. So, place your order now and save big on your first purchase!

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APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

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In-Text Citations

Resources on using in-text citations in APA style

Reference List

Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats

Other APA Resources

APA Style Guide: In-text Examples

• About In-text Citations
• In-text Examples
• How to Paraphrase
• What to Include
• Volume/Issue
• Non-Routine Information
• Place of Publication
• Retrieval Statement
• Book with Editor(s)
• Book with No Author
• Book with Organization as Author
• Book with Personal Author(s)
• Chapters and Parts of Books
• Classical Works
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Multi-Volume Works
• Newspaper Article
• Patents & Laws
• Physicians' Desk Reference
• Social Media
• Technical/Company Reports
• Unpublished Manuscripts/Informal Publications (i.e. course packets)
• Formatting Your Paper
• Formatting Your References
• Annotated Bibliography
• Avoid Plagiarism

Content Note

Two authors

Three-five authors

Six or more authors

Multiple works by the same author

Authors with same surname

Organizations as authors

Works without authors

Works with anonymous listed as author

Works without dates

Works without pagination

Personal communications

Secondary sources

Direct quotations

Multiple citations by the same author in one paragraph

In-Text Examples

One author  

Give the author's name and the year of publication. If the author's name is stated in the sentence, always place the year in parentheses immediately after the name.

(Clark, 1998).

Clark's (1998) study shows that . . .

Two authors  

Give both names separated by the word   and   when including the names in the text of a sentence. For citations in parentheses use an ampersand (&).

Flannigan and McBride (2001) state the results...

(Flannigan & McBride, 2001).

Three-five authors  

Give all the authors names for the first in-text citation, then use et al. for subsequent citations.

(FIRST citation)   Sawyer, Jimmerson, Bradley, Connors, and Ramirez (2010)...

Sawyer et al. (2010)...

(FIRST citation)   (Sawyer, Jimmerson, Bradley, Connors, & Ramirez, 2010).

(Sawyer et al., 2010).

Six or more authors  

Give only the first author's name followed by   et al.   (not in italics) and the year for all in-text citations.

Martinez et al. (1990) describe...

(Martinez et al., 1990)

If the first author's name and the years of publications are the same for several references, include enough additional co-author names to eliminate ambiguity. Include a comma after the last name.

(Martinez, Fuentes, et al., 1990).

(Martinez, Aguilar, et al., 1990).

Multiple works by the same author  

For works published in the same year by the same author, add alphabetic designators to the year in both the in-text reference and reference list.

(Anderson, 1997a, 1997b).

For works published in different years by the same author, place years in chronological sequence separated by commas.

       (McBride, 2003, 2007).

Authors with the same surname  

When authors of 2 works published in the same year have the same surname, include the initials of the author in the in-text citation and separate the names by a semicolon and space. When using initials in the text of a sentence do not invert the first name.

J. Dawson (1986) and T. Dawson (1986) accept the...

(Dawson, J., 1986; Dawson, T., 1986)

Organizations as authors  

If an organizational author is referenced only once or twice in a document, the full organizational name is acceptable. A shortened form can be used in the in-text reference if the organization has a familiar abbreviation. If using an abbreviated name for an organization, spell out the full name the first time referenced and give the abbreviation.

FIRST citation   National Library of Medicine (NLM, 2005)...

NLM (2005) started...

FIRST citation   (National Library of Medicine [NLM], 2005).

(NLM, 2005).

Works without authors  

Begin the in-text reference with the first word or first few words of the title, followed by a comma (a lengthy title may be shortened). Titles of an article, chapter or web page should be placed in double quotation marks. Titles of a periodical, book, report, or brochure should be italicized.

ARTICLE title   ("A New Deal," 2003).

BOOK title   ( The Open Box , 1823).

LONG book title   ( Handbook of Geriatric , 2000).

Reference: Handbook of geriatric drug therapy. (2000). Springhouse, PA: Springhouse.

Works with Anonymous listed as author  

When a title lists the author of a work as Anonymous give the word Anonymous as the author's name in-text and in the reference list. Do not use the term Anonymous for works without authors listed.

Anonymous (1983) said...

(Anonymous, 1983).  

Works without dates  

Place the abbreviation n.d. (for no date) in place of the year for in-text citations and the reference list.

Brigmeyer (n.d.) associates...

(Brigmeyer, n.d.).

Works without Pagination (when using a direct quote)

Use the abbreviation para. to indicate a numbered paragraph rather than a page number.

Horowitz (2011) says, "those who..." (para. 3).

He says, "those who..." (Horowitz, 2011, para. 3).

When no page numbers or paragraph numbers are present, use a heading title and the number of the paragraph after the heading. Click here to see the sample reference below.

Kona (2010) says of George Carlin's humor that, "comedy is a disguise for unmasking other faces" ("The Carlinesque in George Carlin," para 2).

The author likens George Carlin's humor to "a disguise for unmasking other faces" (Kona, 2010, "The Carlinesque of George Carlin," para. 2).

Personal communications  

Personal communications (interviews, e-mail correspondence, lectures, etc.) should be used sparingly. When citing personal communications only cite this material in text, do not include personal communication citations in the reference list. They are excluded from the reference list because this is unrecoverable data. Give the name of the speaker and the exact date.

A. M. Raulson (personal communication, January 28, 2007) says...

(T. J. Mavin, personal communication, April 15, 2009).  

Secondary Sources

Sometimes you need to reference an idea using secondhand knowledge. This should be done rarely, it is always better to read the original work to get the most objective meaning. You ALWAYS cite the material you have in front of you, never use another author's references to cite material you have not accessed. When a work is out of print or hard to find, you may wish to use that author's idea in your paper. You need to give credit to the original author/thinker, but you cite the material you found it in, this way the reader can find the material as well. If you reference an out of print/hard to find item, your reader will not be able to find the same material.

Rawlings said (as cited in Belleville, 2006, p. 8), "We need above all...a certain remoteness from urban confusion."

In the reference list cite the work YOU read:

Belleville, B. (2006). Losing it all to sprawl: How progress ate my cracker landscape . Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.

Direct Quotations

Direct quotes should be used sparingly in any research paper. Use direct quotes to emphasize a particularly original turn of phrase or when technical lingo does not allow for proper rephrasing. When directly quoting, enclose the entire quote in quotation marks, copy the original wording exactly, and provide a page/line/paragraph number (when available).

Moffett (2010) goes into great detail about the predatory and army-like nature of a colony of ants ensnaring its meal, "the more the worm or grasshopper struggles, the more the masses converge on it...all the little ant jaws hold their prey taut" (p.39).

Block quotations are direct quotations that contain 40 words or more. When quoting more than 40 words, do not use quotation marks; instead, set off the direct quote starting it on a new line and indenting a half inch from the margin.

The authors categorize chronic neck pain,

when symptoms are present for 3 or more months, with either recurrent (multiple episodes separated by periods of recovery) or persistent (no periods of recovery) pain. Strong evidence suggests that biomechanical factors, including repetitive movements, prolonged computer use, and poor workstation design, are associated with the development of neck pain. (Bruflat, Balter, McGuire, Fethk, & Maluf, 2012, p. 1349)

Multiple Citations by the Same Author in One Paragraph

Sometimes you might use the same soure of information for an entire paragraph. In this case, you do not need to reference the author and year at the end of each sentence. You would want to provide the full in-text citation at the beginning and the end of the paragraph, but the sentences in between can reference just the author or organization. If you place the author's name in parentheses, then provide the year too.

According to Spitzer's (2010) study the effects of radiation on humans presents...Spitzer's study developed the guidelines needed to test...The most important find in Spitzer's study was that....Spitzer concluded the benefit of radiation...The evidence that proves these guidelines work...(Spitzer, 2010).

Chart of In-Text Examples

American Psychological Association. (2009). Crediting sources: Citing references in text. Publication manual of the American psychological association (6th ed., p. 177) Washington, D.C.: Author.

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How to Reference Articles in APA Format

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Emily Swaim is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, and Vox.

If you write a psychology paper, you will need to reference several sources in APA format. Journal articles are often used and cited to summarize the results of studies and experiments conducted by researchers. In most cases, you will need to create references for at least five or more journal articles for every APA format paper you write.

APA format details a set of strict rules for referencing articles that appear in academic journals and other periodicals. These vary somewhat based on where the article appears and who the authors are. While most articles you will use in your paper appear in academic and professional journals, you may also find articles in magazines, newspapers, and online publications.

Keep reading for a breakdown of the rules for creating references in APA format.

Basic Structure for Journal Article References

Begin the reference with the author's last name and first initials, followed by the date of publication in parentheses. Provide the title of the article, but only capitalize the first letter of the title. Next, include the journal or periodical and volume number in italics, followed by the issue number in parentheses. Finally, provide the page numbers where the article can be found.

Author, I. N. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal or Periodical, volume number (issue number), page numbers.

Smith, L. V. (2000). Referencing articles in APA format. APA Format Weekly, 34 (1), 4-10.

If possible, include the DOI (digital object identifier) number at the end of your reference. If a DOI number is not available and you accessed the article online, give the URL of the journal's home page.

Formatting Rules

• The title , subtitle and all proper nouns should be capitalized.
• Your reference page should be double-spaced.
• The first line of each reference should be flush left and remaining lines should be indented

Be sure to check your references using the official Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. See an example of different types of references and learn more about APA format .

Magazine Articles

The structure of a reference for an article appearing in a magazine is similar to that of a journal article. However, be sure to add the month and day of publication to the publication date.

James, S. A. (2001, June 7). Magazine articles in APA format. Newsweek, 20, 48-52.

Newspaper Articles

References for newspaper articles follow the basic structure as magazines, but you should list each individual page the article appears on rather than a page range.

Tensky, J. A. (2004, January 5). How to cite newspaper articles. The New York Times, 4D, 5D.

Articles With Two Authors

If an article has two authors, follow the basic format for a journal reference. Place a comma after the first initial of the first author followed by an ampersand (&). Then, include the last name and first initial of the second author.

Mischel, W., & Baker, N. (1975). Cognitive transformations of reward objects through instructions.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31 , 254-261.

Articles With Three to Twenty Authors

 For journal articles with three to 20 authors, you will follow a similar format as with two authors but each author and their initials will be separated with a comma. The final author should be preceded by an ampersand. Follow this same format for each additional author up to 20 authors.

Hart, D., Keller, M., Edelstein, W., & Hofmann, V. (1998). Childhood personality influences on social-cognitive development: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1288-1289. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1278

Keller, J. L., Smithfield, K. B., Ellis, M., Michelina, R., & Bels, S. (1987). The limitations of anchoring bias. J ournal of Market Research, 17 , 115-119.

Articles With More Than Twenty Authors

The rules for referencing both single and multiple authors apply to all sources, whether the material came from books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, journal articles, or online sources. Include the last name and first initials of each author, with individuals' names separated by a comma. The last author should be preceded with an ampersand.

If the article includes 20 or fewer authors, list each author separately. If there are more than 20, include the first 19 and then include an ellipse (. . . ) in place of the authors' names before listing the final author.

Arlo, A., Black, B., Clark, C., Davidson, D., Emerson, E., Fischer, F., Grahmann, G., Habib, H., Ianelli, I., Juarez, J., Kobayashi, K., Lee, L., Martin, M., Naim, N., Odelsson, O., Pierce, P., Qiang, Q., Reed, R., Scofield, S., . . . Thatcher, T. (2011). Even more references. APA Format Today, 11 (4), 30-38.

Articles With No Author

If an article does not cite any authors, start the reference with the title of the article. Follow this with the publication date, source, and URL if the article was accessed electronically.

Scientists seek source of creativity. (2012, March, 6). Dayton County News. http://www.daytoncountynews.com/news/39756_39275.html

The reference section is one of the easiest places to lose points due to incorrect APA format, so be sure to check your references before you hand in your psychology papers . While it may be tedioous, learning to reference articles in proper APA style will help you throughout your study of psychology.

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.). The American Psychological Association, 2019.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."