How to Cite a Journal Article in APA, MLA, and Chicago

Learning how to cite a journal article correctly is one of the most useful skills in academic writing, because journal articles are the backbone of most research papers. This guide shows you the exact format for APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago style, with clear examples, in-text forms, and step-by-step instructions for handling DOIs.

What information you need before you start

Every citation style uses the same core building blocks. Before you format anything, collect these details from the article itself or from the database record:

• Author name or names (last name and first initials or full first name)
• Year (and full date for some sources)
• Article title
• Journal name (the periodical it appeared in)
• Volume number, and issue number if there is one
• Page range of the article
• DOI (digital object identifier) or a stable URL

You can usually find all of this on the first page of the article or in the database citation export. Once you have these elements, the differences between styles come down to order, punctuation, and capitalization. If you want to understand the wider logic, our overview of citation styles explained is a helpful companion.

How to cite a journal article in APA (7th edition)

APA uses an author-date system. The reference list entry follows this order: Author(s). (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, Volume(Issue), Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

The examples below use a hypothetical article to illustrate the format; replace the author, title, and DOI with your own source details.

Note these APA details: only the first word of the article title (and proper nouns) is capitalized, the journal name uses title case and italics, the volume number is italicized, the issue number is in parentheses with no space before it, and an ampersand (&) joins authors.

For three or more authors, list the first author followed by “et al.” in the in-text citation, for example (Smith et al., 2021). The reference list still spells out up to 20 authors. For deeper rules on naming, see our guide on how to cite multiple authors.

For a full breakdown of formatting, headings, and the reference page, read the APA format guide or run your details through the APA citation generator.

How to cite a journal article in MLA (9th edition)

MLA organizes citations around the “container” concept. The journal is the container that holds the article. The Works Cited entry follows this order: Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. #, no. #, Year, Page range. Database, DOI or URL.

Note these MLA details: the article title appears in quotation marks with title case, the journal name is italicized, “vol.” and “no.” are lowercase abbreviations, pages use “pp.” for a range, and the word “and” (not an ampersand) joins two authors.

MLA in-text citations use the author and a page number with no comma between them and no “p.” abbreviation. For three or more authors, use the first author plus “et al.” in both the entry and the in-text citation. The MLA format guide covers the Works Cited page in full, and the MLA citation generator builds entries for you.

How to cite a journal article in Chicago style

Chicago offers two systems. Choose based on your field or your instructor’s instructions.

Notes-Bibliography (common in history and the humanities)

This system uses numbered footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography entry. The note and the bibliography entry differ in punctuation and author order.

In the footnote, the author’s name is in normal order, commas separate most elements, and you cite the specific page you used (220 above). In the bibliography, the first author is inverted, periods replace some commas, and you give the full page range.

Author-Date (common in the sciences and social sciences)

This system uses a reference list and short parenthetical in-text citations, similar in spirit to APA.

For the full picture, including title pages and note formatting, see the Chicago style guide or use the Chicago citation generator.

How to handle the DOI correctly

The DOI is a permanent link to an article, and modern style guides prefer it over a plain database URL because it does not break over time. Here is how each style treats it:

1. APA 7th: Present the DOI as a full link beginning with https://doi.org/ with no period at the end. Do not write “DOI:” or “Retrieved from.”
2. MLA 9th: Use the DOI when available, formatted as https://doi.org/ followed by the number, and end the entry with a period.
3. Chicago: Include the DOI as a full https://doi.org/ link at the end of the entry, followed by a period.

If an article has no DOI, use a stable or permanent URL instead. For articles found only in a subscription database with no DOI, APA generally does not require a URL because the content is not freely available. When you do paste a DOI, copy it exactly. A single wrong character points to the wrong article. Our DOI to APA citation converter retrieves matching publication metadata for review before you generate the reference, reducing the risk of transcription errors.

Print versus online journal articles

The good news is that the format is almost identical. A print article simply omits the DOI or URL. An online article adds the DOI (preferred) or a stable URL at the end. In all three styles, the author, title, journal, volume, issue, and page elements stay the same whether you read the article on paper or on screen. If your source is a downloaded file rather than a live page, our guide on how to cite a PDF explains the small adjustments.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing styles in one paper. Pick one and stay consistent.
• Italicizing the article title. Only the journal name is italicized; the article title is plain (APA) or in quotation marks (MLA, Chicago).
• Capitalizing every word of an APA article title. APA uses sentence case for article titles.
• Adding “p.” or “pp.” in APA or MLA in-text citations for journals. APA uses “p.” for a single page or “pp.” for a range only when you quote directly; MLA uses the bare page number with no abbreviation.
• Leaving a period after a DOI in APA, or forgetting the period in MLA and Chicago.

For a refresher on the in-text side of any style, see our guide to in-text citations. Getting these details right is also the simplest way to avoid plagiarism, because a complete citation gives full credit to the original author.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to include the issue number when citing a journal article?

Include the issue number whenever the journal provides one. APA, MLA, and Chicago all expect the issue number if it exists. If the journal numbers its pages continuously across a whole volume and provides no issue number, you can leave it out, but most articles do have one, so check the database record first.

What do I do if a journal article has no DOI?

Use a stable or permanent URL to the article instead. In APA, if the article comes from a subscription database with no DOI and no public URL, you can format it like a print article with no link at all. In MLA and Chicago, include the database name and any stable URL you have. Never use a temporary or session-based link that will expire.

How do I cite a journal article with many authors?

In APA, list up to 20 authors in the reference list and use the first author plus “et al.” in the in-text citation for three or more authors. In MLA, list two authors in full and use the first author plus “et al.” for three or more in both the entry and in-text. Chicago lists up to ten authors in the bibliography and uses “et al.” in notes and in-text for four or more.

Is the format different for a print article and an online article?

The core elements are identical. The only practical difference is that an online article ends with a DOI or stable URL, while a print article ends after the page range. Read the same article on paper or on screen and the author, title, journal, volume, issue, and pages do not change.