This section presents ways to create reference list entries using the APA 7th edition citation style (American Psychological Association, 7th edition).
APA guide: Basic Principles of Reference List Entries
APA guide: Creating an APA Style Reference List
APA guide: Common Reference Examples
APA guide: Reference Examples (a broader range of examples)
Points to consider when creating a reference list:
When writing in English, source references follow the rules of English grammar.
APA guide: Book / Ebook References
Use the same formats for both print books and ebooks. Include in the reference
When the book is an edited volume, list the editor(s) as the author(s), followed by (Ed.) or (Eds.). If the author is an organization, present the name as it appears in the publication. If there is no personal or organizational author, begin the reference with the title of the book.
Do not include the database URL or the name of the database in the reference.
Examples:
Printed book:
Hokkanen, M. (2017). Medicine, mobility and the empire: Nyasaland networks, 1859-1960. Manchester University Press.
Ebook:
LaValle, S. M. (2023). Virtual reality. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108182874
Edition information, when the publication is not the first edition:
Hopkins, D., & Reid, T. (2024). The academic skills handbook: Your guide to success in writing, thinking and communicating at university (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Edited book:
Willson, K. (Ed.). (2024). Runes in Finland. Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. https://www.sls.fi/publications/runes-in-finland/
Book published as part of a series:
Isohätälä, J., Louis, J., Mikkonen, K., & Pyhältö, K. (2017). Towards a doctoral degree and future career: Perceptions of doctoral students at the University of Oulu. (Acta Universitatis Ouluensis. F, Scripta academica, 12). University of Oulu. https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:9789526216751
Book with an organizational author:
University of Oulu. (2016). Science with Arctic attitude: University of Oulu strategy 2016-2020. University of Oulu.
APA guide: Journal Article References
Include in the journal article reference
Do not include the database URL or the name of the database in the reference.
Examples:
Tuohimaa, K., Loukusa, S., Löppönen, H., Aarnisalo, A. A., Dietz, A., Hyvärinen, A., Laitakari, J., Rimmanen, S., Salonen, J., Sivonen, V., Tennilä, T., Tsupari, T., Vikman, S., Virokannas, N., Hautala, J., Tolonen, A. K., Välimaa T., & Kunnari, S. (2025). Factors associated with social-pragmatic understanding in deaf and hard of hearing and typically hearing 6-year-old children. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research, 68(2), 808–826. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00574
Journal article without DOI or permanent identifier:
Starr, M. R., & Päivänen, J. (1981). The influence of peatland forest drainage on runoff peak flows. Suo, 32(3), 79–84.
Journal article with an Article number:
Palaniswamy, S., Nevala, L., Pesonen, P., Rautio, A., Järvelin, M., Abass, K., & Charles, D. (2024). Environmental contaminants in Arctic human populations: Trends over 30 years. Environment international, 189, Article 108777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108777
For a work with 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors’ names, insert an ellipsis (. . .) followed by the final author’s name:
Karjalainen, M. K., Karthikeyan, S., Oliver-Williams, C., Sliz, E., Allara, E., Fung, W. T., Surendran, P., Zhang, W., Jousilahti, P., Kristiansson, K., Salomaa, V., Goodwin, M., Hughes, D. A., Boehnke, M., Fernandes Silva, L., Yin, X., Mahajan, A., Neville, M. J., van Zuydam, N. R., . . . Kettunen, J. (2024). Genome-wide characterization of circulating metabolic biomarkers. Nature, 628(8006), 130–138. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07148-y
If the journal does not use volume, issue, and/or article or page numbers, omit the missing element(s) from the reference:
Kuure, L., Keisanen, T., Iivari, N., & Kinnula, M. (2020). A Making project at school as a nexus of practice: From interdisciplinarity to zones of identification. AFinLAn vuosikirja, 78, 137-154. https://doi.org/10.30661/afinlavk.89459
APA guide: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, s. 318, 336
Journal article, in press:
Smith, J. (in press). Title of article. Title of journal.
Manuscript in preparation:
Johnson, M. (year). Title of article [Manuscript in preparation]. Department, institution.
Manuscript submitted for publication:
Williams, P. (year). Title of article [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department, institution.
APA guide: Chapter in an Edited Book/Ebook References
When citing a chapter in an edited book, include in the reference
Do not include the database URL or the name of the database in the reference.
Examples:
Haddington, P. (2013). Action and space: Navigation as a social and spatial task. In P. Auer, M. Hilpert, A. Stukenbrock, A., & B. Szmrecsanyi (Eds.) Space in language and linguistics: Geographical, interactional, and cognitive perspectives (pp. 411–433). De Gruyter.
Hölsä, A., Banagar, I., Khadim, Q., Frondelius, T., Konnö, J., Mahmoudzadeh Andwari, A., & Kurvinen, E. (2025). Industry 5.0 vision through model-based systems engineering and artificial intelligence. In P. Aaltonen & E. Kurvinen (Eds.) Contemporary issues in Industry 5.0: Towards an AI integrated society (pp. 83–107). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-74779-3_4
APA guide: Dictionary Entry References
Entry in an online dictionary:
Drozdek, A. (2015). Media ethics. In International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences. Elsevier. Retrieved August 5, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080970868110177
Finto.fi (1984). Lyme disease. In Medical Subject Headings. Retrieved August 5, 2025 from https://finto.fi/mesh/en/page/D008193
APA guide: Conference Proceeding References
Conference proceedings follow the same reference format as journal article | chapter in an edited book | book.
Examples:
Conference proceedings published in a journal:
Lääveri, T., Reponen, J., Vehko, T., & Viitanen, J. (2025). Physicians’ experiences of health information exchange in Finland after ten years of national Patient Data Repository services. Intelligent Health Systems, 327, 637–641. https://doi.org/10.3233/shti250426
Conference proceedings published as a book chapter:
Ahonen, V., Hakkarainen, M., Nykänen, E., & Leviäkangas, P. (2025). Ecological sustainability and passengers’ values in mobility – A case of fell Lapland region. In C. McNally, P. Carroll, B. Martinez-Pastor, B. Ghosh, M. Efthymiou, & N. Valantasis-Kanellos (Eds.), Transport transitions: advancing sustainable and inclusive mobility: Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Ireland - Volume 2: Sustainable Transport Development (pp. 85–90). Lecture Notes in Mobility. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85578-8_12
Conference proceedings published as a whole book:
McNally, C., Carroll, P., Martinez-Pastor, B., Ghosh, B., Efthymiou, M., & Valantasis-Kanellos, N. (Eds.) (2025). Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility: Proceedings of the 10th TRA Conference, 2024, Dublin, Ireland - Volume 2: Sustainable Transport Development. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85578-8
APA guide: Conference Presentation References
When referencing a presentation given at a conference, the type of presentation is described in square brackets, e.g., [Conference presentation abstract], [Poster session], [Keynote address]. There is no established terminology for describing the type of presentation.
Examples:
Conference presentation:
Fuada, S., Särestöniemi, M., Katz, M., Soderi, S., & Hämäläinen, M. (7.-8.5.2024). Experimental study of in-body devices misalignment impact on light-based in-body communications [Poster session]. Nordic Conference on Digital Health and Wireless Solutions,Oulu, Finland. https://doi.org/10.54985/peeref.2406p7711324
APA guide: Published Dissertation or Thesis References
When citing a dissertation or thesis, include in the reference
Examples:
Dissertation:
Varanka-Ruuska, T. (2025). Unemployment and type 2 diabetes (Acta Universitatis Ouluensis. D, Medica, 1825) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oulu]. OuluREPO University of Oulu repository. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202412037019
Hakala, J. (1970). Migration as a geographical indicator of social change in Etelä-Pohjanmaa, Finland (Fennia 100:1) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oulu]. Societas geographica Fenniae.
Sharma, N. (2024). Sensing the care: advancing unobtrusive sensing solutions to support informal caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment [Doctoral dissertation, University of Twente]. https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036559942
Master's thesis:
Posti, A. (2025). Managing company reputation during layoffs [Master's thesis, University of Oulu]. OuluREPO University of Oulu repository. https://www.urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202505123274
Shote, L. (2011). Cultural and identity issues in Finland: experiences of seven immigrants from West Africa [Master's thesis, University of Oulu].
Sarajärvi, T. (2025). The applicability of eDNA for environmental monitoring in mining projects [Master's thesis, University of Oulu]. OuluREPO University of Oulu repository. https://www.urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202505203717
Bachelor's thesis:
Kankkonen, S. (2025). Hydrogen in the future Finnish transportation sector. [Bachelor's thesis, University of Oulu]. OuluREPO University of Oulu repository. https://oulurepo.oulu.fi/handle/10024/57294
APA guide: Webpage on a Website References
Webpage on a news website:
Timmins, B. (2025, April 11). Treading gently: The scientists who leave little trace at the world's northernmost lab. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250408-the-scientists-leaving-no-trace-in-the-arctic
Online newspaper article:
APA guide: Newspaper Article References
Webpage, organizational group author:
Ministry of Education and Culture. (2025, June 13). State Award for Public Information goes to eight recipients – making the invisible visible. https://okm.fi/en/-/state-award-for-public-information-goes-to-eight-recipients-making-the-invisible-visible
United Nations. (n.d.). United Nations Charter. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter
Webpage, organizational group author, include the name of parent agency (= Federation of Finnish Learned Societies):
Responsible Reseach editors. (2020, January 10). Only accessible information belongs to everyone. Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. https://vastuullinentiede.fi/en/reuse/only-accessible-information-belongs-everyone
Webpage on a website with a retrieval date (contents change over time):
Statistics Finland. (2025, July 3). Education and research. Retrieved August 6, 2025, from https://stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_koulutus_en.html
APA guide: Preprint Article References
Pennanen, H., Hänninen, T., Tervo, O., Tölli, A., & Latva-aho, M. (2024). 6G: The Intelligent Network of Everything. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.09398
APA guide: Blog Post and Blog Comment References
Khan, M. (2025, January 16). De-coding life on earth. Science with Arctic Attitude. https://www.oulu.fi/en/blogs/science-arctic-attitude/de-coding-life-earth
APA guide: Online media, e.g. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, online forums
Oulu University Library [@unioululibrary]. (n.d.). Posts [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved August 6, 2025, from https://www.instagram.com/unioululibrary/
APA guide: Data Set References
Examples:
Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA (2025). EVA survey on Finnish values and attitudes autumn 2024 (FSD3977; Data version 1.0) [Data set]. The Finnish Social Science Data Archive FSD. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3977
Davies, M. (2008). Corpus of Contemporary American English (2017H1; Kielipankki download version) [corpus]. Kielipankki. http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:lb-2017061923
APA guide: Audiovisual Media
Examples:
APA guide: YouTube Video References
OuluUniversityLib. (2025, June 2). Introduction to Oula-Finna [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_zQLVAQNDQ
APA guide: Podcast References
Brown, R. (Host). (2024, December 5). A guide to unknown soldier(s), Finland's independence day staple [Audio podcast]. Yle Areena. https://areena.yle.fi/1-71673064
APA guide: Online Course or MOOC References
Pakanen, V.-M. (n.d.). Conservation of biodiversity [MOOC]. DigiCampus. https://joy.oulu.fi/en/education-search/conservation-biodiversity-0
In the Finnish context, the APA style is applied with national adaptations.
The date of enactment and the number of the statute are included in the reference list.
Kyberturvallisuuslaki 4.4.2025/124
The in-text citation includes the official abbreviation of the statute, the chapter, the section (§), and the subsection (if applicable).
(KybTL 1:6 §)
An abbreviation must be defined when it appears in the text for the first time. Säädösten lyhenteet ja vakiintuneet nimet (only in Finnish)
APA guide: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, s. 366.
The author(s)/inventor(s), the year the patent was issued, the title of the patent (in italics), the patent number, and the granting authority are included in the reference list.
Heiskanen, J., & Kainulainen, T. (2025). Bifuran copolyesters and a method for preparation thereof (EP3986880B1). European Patent Office. https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/067180797/publication/EP3986880B1?q=wo2020%2F254715
The in-text citation includes the author(s)/inventor(s) and the year the patent was granted.
(Heiskanen & Kainulainen, 2025)
APA guide: ISO Standard References
International Organization for Standardization. (2018). Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements with guidance for use (ISO Standard No. 45001:2018). https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html
The in-text citation includes name of the standardization body and the year the standard was made effective.
(International Organization for Standardization [ISO], 2018) First citation
(ISO, 2018) Subsequent citations
APA guide: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, s. 347
The author(s)/cartographer(s), the year of publication, the title of the map (in italics), description [Map], publisher and URL are included in the reference list. Routes marked on dynamic maps (e.g. Google Maps) can be described in your own words within square brackets.
Karttakeskus (2020). Ruka, Oulanka, Karhunkierros: Ulkoilukartta / Outdoor map [Map]. Karttakeskus.
Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from Oulu to the geographical center of Finland in Piippola]. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://maps.app.goo.gl/DipDJeCzNy9pEQEq5
The in-text citation includes the author and the year of publication.
(Karttakeskus, 2020)
APA's guidelines are missing; there is a mention of artificial intelligence in APA's blog: Creating a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software
Example:
Microsoft. (n.d.). Copilot [Generative AI]. https://copilot.microsoft.com/
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (14.3. version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Follow the University of Oulu's common policies: Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education.
Here are some points related to making in-text citations using the APA 7th edition citation style (American Psychological Association, 7th edition).
APA guide: Author–Date Citation System
Number of authors to include in an in-text citation:
| one author | (Smith, 2025) |
| two authors | (Smith & Johnson, 2025) |
| three or more authors | (Smith et al., 2025) |
| group author with abbreviation |
(International Court of Justice [ICJ], 2025) first citation (ICJ, 2025) subsequent citation |
| group author without abbreviation | (University of Oulu, 2025) |
See also:
APA guide: Paraphrases
If you are referring broadly to an entire work or study, a page number is generally not included. However, APA recommends adding a page number if it helps the reader locate the relevant part of the source, such as in a book.
APA guide: Citing Specific Parts of a Source
Include page numbers when:
(Smith, 2025, p. 10)
(Smith, 2025, pp. 11–14)
Use an en dash (–) between page ranges. Computer editing tip: En dashes
APA guide: Direct Quotations of Material Without Page Numbers
If the source has no page numbers (e.g., an ebook without page numbers), refer to the chapter, subsection or paragraph.
(Smith, 2025, Chapter 4)
(Smith, 2025, Chapter 4.2)
(Smith, 2025, para. 5)
APA guide: Paraphrases
APA guide: Parenthetical Versus Narrative In-Text Citations
When paraphrasing (indirect quotations), a single sentence is cited either:
If the citation applies to multiple sentences, it is sufficient to mention the author's name in the first sentence (narrative citation), as long as it is clear from the following sentences in the same paragraph that the same source is being used. A possible page number is added in parentheses at the end of the citation.
Smith (2025) describes... According to him... Smith also highlights... It can therefore be stated that... (pp. 11–14).
APA guide: Citing Multiple Works
If you refer to multiple sources within the same paragraph, list them in alphabetical order within parentheses and separate the sources with a semicolon (;). If you are citing multiple works by the same author, place the oldest source first.
(Smith, 2025; Johnson, 2023; Williams, 2024)
(Smith, 2020; Smith, 2025)
APA guide: Quotations
When making a short direct quote (under 40 words), it is placed within the sentence using quotation marks.
Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx "short direct quote" (Smith, 2025, p. 123).
When making a long direct quotation (at least 40 words), it is indented without quotation marks and formatted with increased line spacing.
Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx:
Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. Long direct quotation. (Smith, 2025, p. 123)
APA guide: Secondary Sources
If possible, use the primary source — that is, the publication in which the information was first reported.
A secondary source is acceptable when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand. Include only the source you actually used in the reference list. Also, mention the original source in the in-text citation.
In-text citation: (Smith, 1982, as cited in Williams, 2014)
Reference list: Williams, P. (2014). Title. Journal, 1(1), 1-11.
Student: Always check the guidelines for using the citation style with your supervisor or discipline.
Researcher: Ensure that the in-text citations and reference list in your manuscript comply with the practices of the community or publication for which the writing is intended.