APA 7th Edition is one of the most widely used referencing styles in academic writing, especially in psychology, education, social sciences, management, health sciences, and interdisciplinary research. Proper referencing is essential because it helps readers identify the sources used, strengthens academic credibility, and reduces the risk of plagiarism.
However, even experienced researchers make mistakes when applying APA 7th Edition. These errors may appear minor, but they can create inconsistencies in a manuscript and may lead to corrections during journal submission, thesis evaluation, or peer review.
Understanding the most common referencing mistakes can help researchers prepare more accurate and professional academic work.
1. Confusing In-Text Citations with Reference List Entries
One of the most common mistakes is failing to distinguish between in-text citations and full references.
An in-text citation appears within the body of the paper and usually includes the author surname and year.
For example:
Sharma (2024) argued that urban accessibility strongly influences travel behaviour.
Or:
Urban accessibility can significantly affect mode choice (Sharma, 2024).
The reference list, however, provides the complete bibliographic details of the source.
Researchers should make sure that every in-text citation corresponds to a reference list entry and that every reference list entry is actually cited in the manuscript.
2. Incorrect Use of “et al.”
APA 7th Edition simplified the rules for multiple authors.
For works with three or more authors, researchers generally use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” from the very first in-text citation.
For example:
(Sharma et al., 2025)
A common mistake is listing all authors the first time and then using “et al.” later. That approach was more common in earlier citation conventions, but APA 7th Edition generally uses “et al.” immediately for three or more authors in in-text citations.
Researchers should also remember that “et al.” is used in in-text citations, not automatically in reference list entries.
3. Using the Wrong Number of Authors in the Reference List
APA 7th Edition allows up to 20 authors to be listed in a reference entry before an ellipsis is required.
Many researchers incorrectly shorten long author lists too early.
If a paper has up to 20 authors, all should generally be listed in the reference entry.
For works with 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, insert an ellipsis, and then add the final author.
This rule differs from in-text citation practice and is therefore easy to confuse.
4. Incorrect Capitalisation of Article Titles
APA uses sentence case for article titles and book titles.
This means that only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon or dash, and proper nouns should normally be capitalised.
For example:
Correct:
Artificial intelligence in academic research: Opportunities and challenges
Incorrect:
Artificial Intelligence in Academic Research: Opportunities and Challenges
Many researchers copy title capitalisation directly from journal websites, even when the style does not follow APA conventions.
5. Incorrect Capitalisation of Journal Titles
Journal titles follow a different rule.
They should normally use title case.
For example:
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Researchers sometimes mistakenly apply sentence case to journal names.
The journal title should also normally be italicised.
6. Forgetting Italics
APA formatting uses italics in specific places.
Researchers commonly forget to italicise:
journal titles,
journal volume numbers,
book titles,
report titles,
and some standalone works.
For a journal article, the journal title and volume number are generally italicised, but the issue number is not.
For example:
Journal of Transport Geography, 105(3), 103452.
Formatting details such as these should be checked carefully.
7. Incorrect DOI Formatting
DOIs are now generally presented as active URLs.
Correct format:
Researchers should avoid older formats such as:
doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
or
DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx
A DOI should usually appear as a hyperlink-style URL.
Another common mistake is including a DOI that does not match the article.
Researchers should verify the DOI before submission.
8. Using Database Names Unnecessarily
APA 7th Edition does not usually require the name of an academic database for journal articles.
For example, researchers generally do not need to write:
Retrieved from Scopus
or
Available in Web of Science
if the article has a DOI or standard publication details.
The database is usually not part of the reference unless the source is only accessible through a specific proprietary database and the reference type requires it.
9. Incorrect Ordering of References
The reference list should usually be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author.
Researchers sometimes sort references by:
year,
order of appearance,
journal name,
or citation number.
That is not standard APA practice.
If the same author has multiple works, the ordering rules become more specific and should be applied consistently.
10. Problems with Multiple Works by the Same Author
When the same author has multiple works, researchers should arrange them by publication year.
If the same author has more than one publication in the same year, letters should be added.
For example:
Sharma, S. N. (2024a).
Sharma, S. N. (2024b).
The corresponding in-text citations should also use:
(Sharma, 2024a)
and
(Sharma, 2024b)
A common mistake is adding letters in the reference list but forgetting to include them in the in-text citation.
11. Missing Page Numbers for Direct Quotations
Direct quotations should normally include page numbers when available.
For example:
“Public transport accessibility is central to sustainable mobility” (Sharma, 2025, p. 45).
Researchers often provide only the author and year.
When quoting material directly, the page number helps readers locate the original passage.
For online sources without page numbers, paragraph numbers or section headings may sometimes be used where appropriate.
12. Overusing Direct Quotations
Another common problem is relying too heavily on quotations.
Academic writing should demonstrate the researcher’s own synthesis and interpretation.
Researchers should paraphrase ideas in their own words while still citing the original source.
Direct quotations are most useful when the exact wording is especially important.
Overuse of quotations can make a manuscript appear less analytical.
13. Poor Paraphrasing
Changing only a few words from the original source is not sufficient paraphrasing.
Researchers should fully understand the source and then restate the idea in their own structure and language.
Even when paraphrasing, the source must still be cited.
A common mistake is assuming that citation is unnecessary if the wording has changed.
The underlying idea still belongs to the original author.
14. Incorrect Use of Ampersands
APA uses “&” and “and” differently depending on context.
In parenthetical citations, use:
(Sharma & Verma, 2025)
In narrative citations, use:
Sharma and Verma (2025)
Researchers frequently use the ampersand incorrectly in narrative sentences.
15. Incorrect Treatment of Organisation Authors
Organisations can be authors.
For example:
(World Health Organization, 2025)
A common mistake is leaving the author field blank because no individual person is listed.
If the organisation itself is responsible for the publication, it should generally be treated as the author.
If an abbreviation is introduced, it should be done clearly.
For example:
First citation:
(World Health Organization [WHO], 2025)
Later citations:
(WHO, 2025)
16. Incorrect Website References
Researchers often reference websites incorrectly.
A typical website reference may include:
author or organisation,
date,
page title,
website name where appropriate,
and URL.
A common mistake is writing only the website URL.
Another mistake is including a retrieval date when it is not required.
Retrieval dates are generally used when content is designed to change over time and is not archived.
17. Referencing Secondary Sources Improperly
Researchers should ideally cite the original source.
However, sometimes an original source is unavailable and is quoted in another publication.
In such cases, APA allows secondary citation.
For example:
Smith (1990, as cited in Sharma, 2025)
Only the source actually read, in this case Sharma (2025), should normally appear in the reference list.
Researchers should avoid excessive use of secondary citations.
18. Missing Reference Details
Incomplete references are a common problem.
Researchers may forget:
volume,
issue,
page range,
article number,
DOI,
publisher,
edition,
or publication year.
Reference management software can help, but imported metadata should still be checked.
Automatic citation tools are not always accurate.
19. Inconsistent Reference Formatting
Consistency is one of the most important principles in APA style.
A manuscript may contain references where:
some DOIs are hyperlinks,
some are written as plain text,
some titles use title case,
others use sentence case,
some journal names are italicised,
others are not.
Even when individual references are technically understandable, inconsistency makes the manuscript look poorly prepared.
20. Trusting Reference Software Without Checking
Tools such as Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley, and citation generators can save considerable time.
However, they are only as accurate as the metadata they receive.
Researchers should verify:
author names,
title capitalisation,
journal title,
year,
DOI,
page numbers,
and publication type.
Automatic references should always receive a final human check.
21. Citing Sources That Do Not Support the Claim
A citation can be correctly formatted but still be academically incorrect.
This happens when researchers cite an article that does not actually support the sentence being written.
Every source should be read sufficiently to confirm that it supports the claim.
This is especially important when using AI tools, because fabricated or mismatched citations can sometimes appear plausible.
22. Using Unverified AI-Generated References
Generative AI may produce references that appear genuine but are incorrect or nonexistent.
Researchers should never insert an AI-generated citation without verification.
Check the article through:
Crossref,
publisher websites,
Google Scholar,
Scopus,
Web of Science,
PubMed,
or other reliable databases.
Reference accuracy is part of research integrity.
23. Mixing APA with Other Styles
Another frequent problem is combining APA with Harvard, Vancouver, Chicago, or journal-specific styles.
For example, a manuscript may use APA-style in-text citations but numbered references.
Researchers should follow one consistent style unless the journal specifically requires something different.
24. Not Checking the Target Journal’s Modified Style
Some journals say they use APA but apply small modifications.
For example, they may have their own rules for:
DOI display,
reference order,
author names,
or online-first articles.
Authors should therefore check the journal’s own author guidelines before final submission.
A Final APA 7th Edition Checklist
Before submitting a manuscript, researchers should confirm that:
every in-text citation has a reference entry,
every reference entry is cited,
titles use correct capitalisation,
journal titles and volume numbers are italicised,
DOIs are formatted correctly,
author names are accurate,
“et al.” is used correctly,
direct quotations include page numbers,
references are alphabetised,
and all entries are consistent.
Conclusion
APA 7th Edition referencing is not difficult once its major rules are understood, but small errors can accumulate quickly in a long manuscript.
The most common mistakes involve author formatting, “et al.” usage, capitalisation, italics, DOI presentation, missing citation details, inconsistent formatting, and poor correspondence between in-text citations and reference list entries.
Researchers should avoid relying entirely on automatic citation software or AI-generated references. Every source should be verified and every reference should accurately represent the original publication.
For researchers and academic support organisations such as EduPub, careful APA referencing improves manuscript professionalism, strengthens research credibility, and supports ethical scholarly communication.
The simplest principle is: cite accurately, format consistently, verify every source, and follow the target journal’s instructions.
