Common APA 7 Errors – and How to Fix Them
I’ve edited hundreds of essays, theses, dissertations, and journal articles over the years, and there are a few common APA errors that I run into no matter what type of document I’m reviewing. The good news is there are quick fixes for all of them.
1) Sources are cited in text but not on the Reference page, and vice versa.
If you cite Martin and Smith, 2022, in the body of your journal article/essay/thesis/dissertation, that same Martin and Smith, 2022 source should also be cited on the Reference page.
When I’m editing someone’s work, to ensure that all sources cited in text (personal communications are an exception) are also cited on the Reference page (and vice versa) my first step is to copy the Reference page from the essay/thesis/dissertation into a new Reference page document. By doing that, I can easily line up the Reference page next to the full document.
I will then go line by line through the full document. Each time there’s an in-text citation, I will search for that source on the Reference page document I’ve created. If that source is cited on the Reference page, I highlight that citation on the Reference page. If a source isn’t cited on the Reference page, I will add a note in the main document that a Reference page citation will need to be created for that source.
When I’m finished checking the entire document, if there are any sources on the Reference page that haven’t been highlighted, I’ll make a note because if a source is cited on the Reference page, it also needs to be cited in text.
2) Improper use of “and” and “&” when citing sources written by two authors.
Incorrect: Johnson & Patel (2024) found that …
Correct: Johnson and Patel (2024) found that …
Incorrect: “Quote here” (Johnson and Patel, 2024).
Correct: “Quote here” (Johnson & Patel, 2024).
When citing a source by two authors in narrative citations, use “and” between the authors’ names.
When citing a source by two authors in a parenthetical citation, use an ampersand (&) between the authors’ names.
** If you do a search (Control F) for an ampersand (&), you can easily go through your entire journal article/essay/thesis/dissertation, and double-check that ampersands aren’t being used in narrative citations but are being included in parenthetical citations.
3) “et al.” is included in a Reference page citation.
According to APA 7, “et al.” should not be part of a Reference page citation. “et al.” is used in text when you’re citing a source by 3 or more authors.
For example: According to Smith et al. (2023), …
If you’re citing that source on the Reference page, you would spell out all of the authors’ names.
Correct: Smith, J., Miller, A. R., & Patterson, R. E. (2023). …
Incorrect: Smith, J. et al. (2023). …
Per APA, if you have a source with 20 or fewer authors, spell out all the authors’ names on the Reference page.
If there are more than 20 authors, spell out the first 19 authors’ names, follow with an ellipsis, and then include the last author’s name. See below:
Jones, F., Rodgers, Y., Williams, U., Rodney, U., Jordan, P., Kerr, U., Wells, C., Chester, E., Anderson, R. F., Peets, L., Swelt, T., Yetil, M., Duran, C., Martin, K., Diggs, E., Waiters, P. I., Indire, K., Ellison, B., Wennington, B. W., … Jackson, P. (2024). …
** If you do a search (Control F) for “et al.” on your Reference page, you can quickly find whether or not you’ve inserted “et al.” If you have, follow the guidance above and add the rest of the authors’ names to the citations. And, if there are more than 20 authors, add an ellipsis before the last author’s name.
4) The DOI is not formatted properly.
Incorrect: DOI:DOI number here
Incorrect: doi:DOI number here
Correct: https://doi.org/DOI number here
Per APA, a DOI (digital object identifier) “is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet.”
DOI formatting has changed over time, per APA. Today, the International DOI Foundation recommends the following format, which should be used in all entries with a DOI:
https://doi.org/DOI number here
** If you do a search (Control F) for “DOI” or “doi” on your Reference page, you can double-check that your DOIs are following the current formatting. If they’re not, it’s a quick fix to make sure they are.