Core rule
Every idea you borrow needs an in-text citation and a matching reference list entry. Do not invent sources, page numbers, or DOIs.
In-text basics (APA 7)
- One author: (Nguyen, 2021)
- Two authors: (Nguyen & Mensah, 2021)
- Three or more: (Nguyen et al., 2021)
- Direct quote: include a page or paragraph number when available
Reference list essentials
- Alphabetical by author surname
- Italicise journal and book titles as required by APA
- Include DOI as a URL when available
- Only list works you actually cited
Frequent mistakes
- Citation in text with no reference entry (or the reverse)
- Changing author order
- Quoting without a locator
- Using a fake or AI-hallucinated source
Check your draft
AcademicCheck can flag citation-style issues and unverifiable-looking references as signals, not proof of misconduct. Run a citation-aware check.