APA 7 Reference Guide

Information for Authors

APA 7 Reference Guide

IJESGE uses the author–date citation system established by the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

General requirement

Every source cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and every entry in the reference list must be cited in the manuscript.

Authors are responsible for the completeness, accuracy and authenticity of all citations, references, DOIs and URLs.

In-text citation system

APA uses the surname of the author and the year of publication. Page numbers are required for direct quotations and are encouraged when they help readers locate a specific passage.

In-text citation examples

One author — parenthetical:
Green skills contribute to a more inclusive economic transition (Mammadov, 2026).
One author — narrative:
Mammadov (2026) examined the contribution of green skills to sustainable development.
Two authors:
(Mammadov & Qadimli, 2026)
Mammadov and Qadimli (2026)
Three or more authors:
(Mammadov et al., 2026)
Mammadov et al. (2026)
Direct quotation:
“Quoted material appears here” (Mammadov, 2026, p. 15).
Organization as author:
First citation: (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2026)
Later citations: (UNESCO, 2026)
Multiple sources:
(Mammadov, 2025; Qadimli, 2024; Smith & Brown, 2026)
No publication date:
(Forest Education Azerbaijan, n.d.)

Reference-list formatting

  • Place the reference list at the end of the manuscript;
  • Use the heading References;
  • Arrange entries alphabetically by the first author’s surname;
  • Use a hanging indent for every entry;
  • Use sentence case for article, book and report titles;
  • Italicize journal titles and volume numbers;
  • Present DOI links as https://doi.org/...;
  • Do not place a full stop after a DOI or URL;
  • Include up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis in a reference entry.

Journal articles

Article with a DOI

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2026). Title of the article. Journal Title, 10(2), 120–136. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Article without a DOI

Author, A. A. (2026). Title of the article. Journal Title, 5(1), 25–41.

Advance online publication

Author, A. A. (2026). Title of the article. Journal Title. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Books and chapters

Book:
Author, A. A. (2026). Title of the book. Publisher.
Edited book:
Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (2026). Title of the edited book. Publisher.
Chapter in an edited book:
Author, A. A. (2026). Title of the chapter. In B. B. Editor & C. C. Editor (Eds.), Title of the book (pp. 20–39). Publisher. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Reports and institutional publications

Institutional report:
World Bank. (2026). Title of the report. URL
Report with individual authors:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2026). Title of the report (Report No. 25). Organization. URL

Datasets and software

Dataset:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2026). Title of the dataset [Data set]. Repository. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Software:
Author, A. A. (2026). Title of software (Version 2.0) [Computer software]. Repository or Publisher. URL

Conference materials

Published conference paper:
Author, A. A. (2026). Title of the paper. In B. B. Editor (Ed.), Proceedings of the Conference Name (pp. 40–52). Publisher. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Conference presentation:
Author, A. A. (2026, September 12–14). Title of presentation [Conference presentation]. Conference Name, City, Country.

Theses and dissertations

Published thesis:
Author, A. A. (2026). Title of thesis [Master’s thesis, University Name]. Repository. URL
Unpublished dissertation:
Author, A. A. (2026). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.

Web sources

Webpage with an organization as author:
Organization Name. (2026, August 30). Title of the webpage. URL
Webpage with an individual author:
Author, A. A. (2026, August 30). Title of the webpage. Website Name. URL

DOI presentation

Use the complete clickable DOI format:

Correct: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Avoid: DOI: 10.xxxx/xxxxx or http://dx.doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Sources in languages other than English

For a source with a non-Latin title, provide an accepted transliteration followed by an English translation of the title in square brackets when appropriate. Retain the original publication details and DOI or URL.

Reference-management software

Authors may use reference-management software, but automatically generated references must be reviewed manually. Software output does not guarantee compliance with APA 7 or the accuracy of the bibliographic information.

Final verification

Before submission, authors must verify every author name, publication year, title, journal, volume, issue, page range, DOI and URL. Fabricated or unverifiable citations constitute a serious research-integrity concern.

Referencing system: APA 7th edition

In-text system: Author–date

Last reviewed: August 2026