Common APA Citation Mistakes

    Avoid the most frequent APA citation errors with these corrections and examples

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    Published: September 15, 2025
    By heypaperhero Team

    Top 10 APA Citation Mistakes

    Why These Mistakes Matter

    Proper APA formatting demonstrates attention to detail and academic credibility. Even small errors can impact your paper's professional appearance and may result in point deductions.

    1. Incorrect Author Name Format

    Incorrect

    John A. Smith. (2023). Research methods. Academic Press.

    Correct

    Smith, J. A. (2023). Research methods. Academic Press.

    Always use last name first, followed by initials. Never write out full first names in the reference list.

    2. Missing or Incorrect DOI Format

    Incorrect

    DOI: 10.1037/example
    doi:10.1037/example
    Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1037/example

    Correct

    https://doi.org/10.1037/example

    Format DOIs as complete URLs. Don't include "DOI:" or "Retrieved from" before the DOI.

    3. Incorrect Title Capitalization

    Incorrect

    Smith, J. (2023). The Effects Of Social Media On Academic Performance.
    Journal of Educational Psychology, 45(3), 123-145.

    Correct

    Smith, J. (2023). The effects of social media on academic performance.
    Journal of Educational Psychology, 45(3), 123-145.

    Use sentence case for article/book titles. Only capitalize the first word, first word after a colon, and proper nouns.

    4. Wrong Journal Name Formatting

    Incorrect

    Smith, J. (2023). Research findings. "Journal of Psychology," Vol. 45, Issue 3, pp. 123-145.

    Correct

    Smith, J. (2023). Research findings. Journal of Psychology, 45(3), 123-145.

    Journal names should be in italics and title case. Don't use quotation marks, "Vol.", "Issue", or "pp."

    5. Incorrect In-Text Citation Format

    Incorrect

    According to Smith (2023, p. 42), the results were significant.
    The study showed positive results (Smith, 2023, page 42).
    As noted by Smith (2023, pg. 42)...

    Correct

    According to Smith (2023), the results were significant (p. 42).
    The study showed positive results (Smith, 2023, p. 42).
    As noted by Smith (2023), the findings were clear (p. 42).

    Use "p." for page numbers, not "page" or "pg." For narrative citations, put page numbers in a separate parenthetical.

    6. Incorrect Multiple Authors Format

    Incorrect

    Reference: Smith, J. and Brown, M. (2023)...
    In-text: (Smith and Brown, 2023)
    In-text: Smith and Brown (2023)

    Correct

    Reference: Smith, J., & Brown, M. (2023)...
    In-text: (Smith & Brown, 2023)
    In-text: Smith and Brown (2023)

    Use "&" in reference lists and parenthetical citations. Use "and" in narrative citations.

    7. Hanging Indent Problems

    Incorrect

    Smith, J. A. (2023). Long title that continues onto the next line
    without proper indentation. Journal Name, 45(3), 123-145.

    Correct

    Smith, J. A. (2023). Long title that continues onto the next line
    with proper hanging indent. Journal Name, 45(3), 123-145.

    Every reference entry must use a hanging indent. First line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches.

    8. Website Citation Errors

    Incorrect

    Smith, J. (2023). "Article Title." Website Name. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from www.example.com

    Correct

    Smith, J. (2023, March 15). Article title. Website Name. https://www.example.com/article

    Don't use quotation marks around article titles. Don't include retrieval dates unless content changes frequently. Include complete URLs.

    Prevention Checklist

    Before Submitting Your Paper

    • ✓ All author names are in "Last name, First initial" format
    • ✓ Article/book titles use sentence case (only first word capitalized)
    • ✓ Journal names are italicized and in title case
    • ✓ DOIs are formatted as complete URLs
    • ✓ All reference entries use hanging indent
    • ✓ "&" is used in parenthetical citations, "and" in narrative citations
    • ✓ Page numbers use "p." or "pp." format
    • ✓ Reference list is alphabetized correctly
    • ✓ All sources cited in text appear in reference list
    • ✓ All references in list are cited in text