Formatting a Journal Article Reference
Let’s create a reference for a journal article – one of the most common sources used in academic writing.
Step-by-Step Breakdown
When creating a reference for a Journal Article, you should try to find the following information:
- the author’s name
- the year the article was published
- the title of the article
- the title of the journal
- the volume and issue numbers of the journal
- the page numbers for the article
- Either the article’s Digital Object Identifier or the article’s URL (if it has one)
Here’s the information I was able to find for the fictional article we’ll be citing:
Title: An analysis of recent biological evidence
Authors: Jonathon Strange and Kathy H. Weber
Published in: Sasquatch Today, 2020
Volume: 14
Issue: 2
Pages: 34–57
DOI: 10.1000/sasquatch.2020.004
1. Author Names
Start with the authors in the same order they appear in the article – even if they’re not in alphabetical order:
Strange, J., & Weber, K. H.
Use this format:
- Surname first
- Initials for first and middle names
- Use an ampersand (&) before the final author
- End with a period and a single space.
If there were more than two authors, we’d still separate them each with a comma and place a comma and ampersand before the final author.
There are a few special rules for different types of names:
- Hyphenated first names like James-Michael? Write: Brown, J.-M.
- Suffixes like “Jr.” go at the end: Brown, J.-M., III
- Academic or professional titles (like “Dr.” or “Ph.D.”) are not included
- If two different authors have the same last name and initials, add their full first names in brackets:
- Reynolds, R. [Ryan].
- Reynolds, R. [Richard].
2. Year of Publication
Place the year of publication in parentheses, followed by a period and a space.
Example:
(2020).
Even if the article lists a more detailed date, you only need the year.
If there’s no publication date listed, write: (n.d.)
3. Article Title
Next comes the title of the article. This part:
- Is not italicized
- Uses sentence case – only the first word of the title, subtitle (if present), and any proper nouns are capitalized
- Ends with a period
Example:
An analysis of recent biological evidence.
4. Journal Name
For the Journal’s Name we’ll switch to italics and Title Case. For our example, that’d be:
Sasquatch Today,
Capitalize all major words – which is any word that isn’t a short conjunction (like and, or, or but) or a short preposition (like to, of, and for). Add a comma after the journal title and a single space.
5. Volume, Issue, and Pages
Now we’ll add the volume, issue, and page range.
- The volume number is italicized
- The issue number goes immediately after the volume in parentheses (but not italicized)
- There is no space between the volume and issue numbers
- Follow the volume and issue numbers with a comma and a space before the page numbers
For page numbers:
- Use an en dash (–) between numbers, not a hyphen (-)
- List inclusive pages (where the article starts and ends)
- If the article spans non-sequential pages (meaning it’s broken up into multiple sets of pages), list all page ranges separated by commas:
- 34–57, 61–65
End with a period and a space.
6. DOI or URL
This is the final part of your reference.
If the article has a DOI, include it as a URL without a period at the end. You’ll start by putting “https://doi.org/” and then add the DOI number without any spaces between the parts. For DOIs and URLs, active hyperlinks are preferred but their font color and underlining is optional.
Example:
https://doi.org/10.1000/sasquatch.2020.004
If there is no DOI, use the URL of the journal article.
Example:
https://sasquatchtodayjournal.org/2020/004
Never include both the DOI and URL – you only use one, and DOIs are always preferred.
Final Result
Strange, J., & Weber, K. H. (2020). An analysis of recent biological evidence. Sasquatch Today, 14(2), 34–57. https://doi.org/10.1000/sasquatch.2020.004
It’s a bit more complex than a book reference, but once you understand each part, it’s more manageable.
Quick checklist
▢ Authors inverted, ampersand before the last author
▢ Year in parentheses with period afterward
▢ Article title in sentence case, not italicized
▢ Journal title and volume number italicized; issue number in parentheses
▢ Page range uses an en dash if spread over multiple pages
▢ DOI linked as a URL & no period after the DOI
Let PERRLA Handle your Formatting
PERRLA can locate article details by DOI. The reference formats itself, and the entry appears on the References page with correct italics and punctuation.