APA 7 style: how to cite and format your reference list (examples)

A poorly presented reference list costs points, even when the content of the thesis is good. APA 7th edition is one of the styles most often required by Moroccan universities and institutes, especially in management, psychology, education and health sciences. Here is what you need to know, with examples ready to adapt.

Quick APA 7 examples (fictitious names and titles, adapt them):

• Book: Benali, S. (2023). Research methods in management (2nd ed.). Example Press.
• Journal article: Alaoui, K., & Martin, L. (2022). Article title. Example Journal of Management, 14(2), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
• Website: Example Organization. (2024, March 10). Page title. https://www.example.org/page
• In-text citation: (Benali, 2023) or Benali (2023); two authors: (Alaoui & Martin, 2022).

In short: in APA 7, in-text citations give the author's name and the year, (Benali, 2022), adding the page for a direct quotation, (Benali, 2022, p. 14). Every cited source appears in a reference list sorted alphabetically, with a hanging indent and the DOI when there is one.

The principle: author and year

APA is an "author-date" style. In the text, you give the author's name and the year in parentheses. At the end of the thesis, the reference list gives all the details, sorted alphabetically by author name. Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa.

In-text citations

• One author: (Benali, 2021) or "Benali (2021) shows that…"

• Two authors: (Benali & Idrissi, 2021) or "Benali and Idrissi (2021)…"

• Three or more authors: (Benali et al., 2021) or "Benali et al. (2021)…"

• Organization: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023), then (WHO, 2023)

• Several sources: (Alaoui, 2019; Benali, 2021)

Since the 7th edition, "et al." is used from the first citation for three or more authors.

Note: in a thesis written in French, many institutions accept "et" instead of "&". What matters is being consistent from start to finish.

Direct quotations

An exact quotation goes in quotation marks, with the page: (Benali, 2021, p. 45). Beyond 40 words, use an indented block quotation without quotation marks. Use them sparingly: juries prefer you to rephrase in your own words (paraphrase), always with the source.

The reference list: the most common formats

Journal article

Surname, Initial. (Year). Title of the article. Journal Title, volume(issue), pages. DOI link

Fictitious example: Benali, S., & Idrissi, K. (2021). Patient satisfaction and quality of nursing care. Journal of Public Health, 8(2), 45–58. followed by the article's DOI link

Book

Surname, Initial. (Year). Title of the book (ed.). Publisher.

Example: Fortin, M.-F., & Gagnon, J. (2022). Fondements et étapes du processus de recherche (4th ed.). Chenelière Éducation.

In APA 7, the publisher's city is no longer given.

Chapter in an edited book

Surname, Initial. (Year). Title of the chapter. In Initial. Surname (Ed.), Title of the book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Web page or online report

Organization or Surname, Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of the page or report. Site name. URL

Thesis or dissertation

Surname, Initial. (Year). Title of the thesis [Master's thesis, University name]. Repository or URL if available.

Formatting the list

• Sorted alphabetically by the first author's surname.

• Hanging indent of 1.27 cm.

• Same author, several years: from oldest to most recent.

• Up to 20 authors are listed in the reference.

• Journal and book titles in italics; article titles in plain text.

Save time with Zotero or Word

Do not type your references by hand. Zotero (free) saves your sources in one click from the browser and generates the APA 7 reference list in Word. Word also has a built-in tool (References > Style: APA). Always check the result: imported metadata sometimes contains capitalization or author errors.

The 5 most common mistakes

• Mixing several citation styles in the same thesis.

• Citing a source in the text without adding it to the list (or the other way round).

• Forgetting the DOI when there is one.

• Citing Wikipedia or blogs as main scientific sources.

• Copying a paragraph without quotation marks: it is plagiarism, even with the source.

Citing in a final-year project or thesis: practical cases

• An internal company document: cite the organization as author, (Company X, 2025), and state in the list that it is an unpublished internal document. Check that the company authorizes its mention.

• An official report: the institution is the author, for example (Ministry of Health, 2024).

• A legal text: give the official title, the date and the publication reference.

• A personal communication (interview): cited only in the text, (A. Benali, personal communication, March 12, 2026), with no entry in the list.

• AI-generated content: APA recommends citing the tool and its version, but many institutions restrict its use; follow their rules.

Where to find reliable sources to cite?

To build your reference list, start from the academic databases presented in our literature review guide. For automatic formatting in Word, see writing a final-year project report in Word. All the steps of the thesis are summarized in our dissertation guide.

Official reference: the APA Style website (American Psychological Association).

Frequently asked questions

What is an example of an APA 7 reference?

For a book: Surname, Initial. (Year). Title of the book (edition). Publisher. Fictitious example: Benali, S. (2023). Research methods in management (2nd ed.). Example Press. In the text, write (Benali, 2023).

What is the difference between a bibliography and references?

In APA, the "References" list contains only the sources cited in the text. A "bibliography" can include works you read but did not cite. Use the term your institution requires.

How do I cite a source in Arabic?

Depending on your institution's rules, you can keep the original title or transliterate it, with a translation in square brackets. Ask your supervisor for the rule and apply it everywhere.

APA 6 or APA 7: which should I use?

APA 7 (2020) is the current version. Use it unless your institution explicitly requires APA 6 or another style (ISO 690, Vancouver in health sciences).

Should figures and tables have sources?

Yes. Under each figure or table taken or adapted from an author, give the source. For your own data, write for example "Source: survey conducted in 2026".

Proofreading and formatting

Data Académique checks your citations, formats your reference list in APA 7 and proofreads your whole thesis before submission. Discover our thesis support or message us on WhatsApp.