How to Cite Print Journal Articles

Basic Format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), pp-pp.

Example:

Smith, J. D., & Johnson, M. R. (2023). Research methods in social sciences. Journal of Research Methods, 15(2), 123-145.

Format Guidelines

Article Title

  • Use sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns)
  • Do not italicize or use quotation marks
  • Include subtitle if present, separated by a colon

Journal Title

  • Italicize the journal title
  • Use title case (capitalize all major words)
  • Write out the full journal name

Volume and Issue

  • Italicize the volume number
  • Place issue number in parentheses
  • Do not use "Vol." or "Issue"

In-Text Citations

First Citation

Smith and Johnson (2023) found that...
...(Smith & Johnson, 2023)

Page Numbers

(Smith & Johnson, 2023, p. 125)

Special Cases

Special Issue

Include the special issue information after the title

Wilson, K. L. (2023). New research methods [Special issue]. Journal of Research, 20(S1), 1-15.

Supplemental Material

Include information about supplemental material in brackets

Davis, C. D. (2023). Research findings [Supplemental material]. Research Quarterly, 12(4), 45-60.

Key Points to Remember

  • Include all authors' names up to 20 authors
  • Provide complete page range
  • Use standard abbreviations for journal names only if widely recognized
  • Include both volume and issue numbers when available
  • Double-check journal title capitalization