How to cite a journal article (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard)
Journal articles carry a lot of small fields: journal title, volume, issue, page range, DOI, article number, and sometimes an online-first date. The hard part is not finding data, it is knowing which data matters. A strong citation lets a reader move from your sentence to the exact article without guessing at a database record.
When to use this source type
Use this source type for peer-reviewed articles, review articles, short communications, and scholarly articles published in academic journals. Science, Nature, PLOS ONE, The Lancet, and university press journals all fit this pattern when the source has a journal title plus volume, issue, page range, article number, or DOI.
Do not use this template for magazine journalism, newspaper reporting, blog posts, or working papers simply because they look academic. If there is no journal container, volume, issue, or DOI, another source type will usually be cleaner. If an article is online-first with an article number instead of pages, cite the article number or DOI rather than inventing pages.
Quick reference table
The same source facts appear in each style, but they move around. Check the author role, date detail, title formatting, container, locator, and the one style-specific rule before you paste a citation into your reference list.
| Style | Author | Date | Title | Container | URL or locator | Style note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Author surnames and initials. | Year in parentheses. | Article title in sentence case. | Journal title and volume italicized. | Issue in parentheses, pages, DOI. | DOI as https://doi.org/... |
| MLA 9 | Author names, first inverted. | Year after volume and issue. | Article title in quotation marks. | Journal title italicized. | vol., no., year, pp., DOI. | Database name only when needed. |
| Chicago | Author names in reference-list order. | Year after author. | Article title in quotation marks. | Journal title italicized. | Volume, issue, pages, DOI. | No pp. before page range. |
| Harvard | Author surnames and initials. | Year in parentheses. | Article title plain text or quoted by variant. | Journal title italicized. | Volume(issue), pp. range. | DOI or Available at URL. |
APA 7 walkthrough
APA 7 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this journal article? For a journal article, use the article authors in the order printed by the journal. The date element uses the publication year, with month or day only when the journal record requires it. The title element keeps the article title in sentence case with no quotation marks. The source element is the journal title in italics, followed by italicized volume and the issue in parentheses. Finally, the locator element uses the page range, article number, and DOI as the final retrieval route. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
APA 7 wants the DOI as a URL. Do not write DOI: before it, and do not use a database URL when a DOI is available. In text, use (Gleick et al., 2010, p. 689). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Gleick, P. H., Adams, R. M., & Amasino, R. M. (2010). Climate change and the integrity of science. *Science*, *328*(5979), 689-690. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.328.5979.689
MLA 9 walkthrough
MLA 9 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this journal article? For a journal article, inverts the first author and uses et al. for three or more authors. The date element places the year after volume and issue details. The title element puts the article title in quotation marks and title case. The source element uses the journal as the container and italicizes it. Finally, the locator element uses vol., no., year, pp., and DOI or URL in that order. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
MLA container order is useful for articles because it keeps the smaller work and larger journal clearly separate. Keep the journal title as printed by the publisher. In text, use (Gleick et al. 689). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Gleick, Peter H., et al "Climate change and the integrity of science." *Science*, vol. 328, no. 5979, 2010, pp. 689-690. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.328.5979.689.
Chicago walkthrough
Chicago starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this journal article? For a journal article, starts with the article authors in reference-list order. The date element places the year after the author block. The title element puts the article title in quotation marks. The source element italicizes the journal title and then gives volume and issue. Finally, the locator element gives page range after a colon and adds DOI or URL at the end. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Chicago does not use pp. in journal reference entries. If the article has an issue number, use no. before it. In text, use (Gleick et al. 2010, 689). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Gleick, Peter H., and Robert M. Adams, Richard M. Amasino. 2010. "Climate change and the integrity of science." *Science* 328, no. 5979: 689-690. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.328.5979.689.
Harvard walkthrough
Harvard starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this journal article? For a journal article, uses surnames and initials, preserving the journal's author order. The date element puts the year in parentheses after the authors. The title element places the article title before the journal title. The source element italicizes the journal title and gives volume and issue. Finally, the locator element uses pp. for page ranges and doi: for DOI details in many Harvard variants. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Harvard rules vary, but the core test is simple: journal title, volume, issue, pages, and DOI must all be traceable. In text, use (Gleick et al., 2010, p. 689). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Gleick, Peter H., and Robert M. Adams, Richard M. Amasino (2010) Climate change and the integrity of science. *Science*, 328(5979), pp. 689-690. doi: 10.1126/science.328.5979.689.
Common mistakes for this source type
Most errors come from forcing a journal article into the wrong template. Before submitting, check these details against the source itself, not against a database preview or a copied citation.
- Using a database permalink when a DOI is available.
- Capitalizing every word of an APA article title.
- Dropping the issue number because the volume is present.
- Writing pp. in Chicago journal references.
- Confusing a magazine article with a peer-reviewed journal article.