PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/DSM-5-TR

How to Cite the DSM-5-TR in APA 7

In APA 7, the DSM-5-TR is cited as a book by a group author, with no publisher, because the author published it:

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

In text, cite it as (American Psychiatric Association, 2022), or define the abbreviation the first time, (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022), and use (APA, 2022) after that.

The format

American Psychiatric Association. (Year). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (edition). https://doi.org/xxxx

PERRLA APA Experts · Updated October 21, 2026
Checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Type DSM-5-TR into PERRLA's reference search, or paste the DOI. PERRLA recognizes the manual and fills in the American Psychiatric Association as the group author, 2022, the full title, the 5th ed., text rev. edition note, and the DOI. Type just DSM and PERRLA offers the DSM-5-TR, the DSM-5, and the DSM-IV-TR so you can pick the edition you used.

PERRLA also fills in APA as the abbreviation, so your first citation reads (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022) and the ones after it read (APA, 2022). Citing the Publication Manual or anything else by the American Psychological Association in the same paper? Clear the Abbrev. box so both organizations stay spelled out.

Adding it by hand? Choose Book, then Book, e-book, or audiobook, then All or part of a book. Set the contributor's role to Group Author (Organization), type the edition as 5th ed., text rev., and leave the publisher blank.

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Paste its name, get the reference

DSM-5-TR

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same reference by hand.

The parts of the reference

1. Author

The author is the organization that wrote the manual: the American Psychiatric Association. Spell it out in full in the reference, with a period after it. Never put the abbreviation APA in the reference itself.

American Psychiatric Association.

Don't list the DSM's editors or task force members. The title page credits the association, so the association is the author.

2. Year

Give the year of the edition you used, in parentheses. The DSM-5-TR is 2022. The DSM-5 is 2013.

(2022).

Mixing these up is the most common DSM error. If the cover says DSM-5-TR, the year is 2022. If it says DSM-5 with no TR, the year is 2013.

3. Title

Write the full title in italics and sentence case. The nickname DSM-5-TR is not the title, so it doesn't go in the reference.

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

4. Edition

Right after the title, in plain parentheses, give the edition. The text revision gets its own note after the edition number.

(5th ed., text rev.).

The DSM-5 is just (5th ed.), and the DSM-IV-TR is (4th ed., text rev.). Use the numeral and the ordinal, 5th, not the word Fifth.

5. Publisher

Leave it out. When the author and the publisher are the same, APA 7 names the organization only once, as the author. The DSM-5-TR comes from American Psychiatric Association Publishing, the association's own press, and APA Style's own DSM examples leave it out.

6. DOI

End with the DOI as a link, with no period after it. Include it even if you used the print copy from your library, because the DOI belongs to the work, not to the format you read.

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Examples

The DSM-5-TR, with the APA abbreviation

The current edition, released in 2022. With the abbreviation filled in, the first citation defines APA and every citation after it uses the short form.

  • Parenthetical citation(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022)
  • Narrative citationAmerican Psychiatric Association (APA, 2022)
  • Later citations(APA, 2022)

The DSM-5-TR with the name spelled out

The same reference with no abbreviation. Use this when your paper also cites the American Psychological Association, such as its Publication Manual. Both organizations abbreviate to APA, so APA Style says to spell each one out every time.

  • Parenthetical citation(American Psychiatric Association, 2022, p. 112)
  • Narrative citationAmerican Psychiatric Association (2022, p. 112)

The DSM-5 (2013)

The 2013 edition, still cited in many journal articles and older course materials. Only cite it if you actually used it. If your course uses the text revision, cite the DSM-5-TR instead.

  • Parenthetical citation(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013)
  • Narrative citationAmerican Psychiatric Association (APA, 2013)
  • Later citations(APA, 2013)

The DSM-IV-TR (2000)

The edition before the DSM-5, for a paper that traces how a diagnosis changed over time. Older editions keep their Roman numerals in the nickname, but the reference uses the same pattern.

  • Parenthetical citation(American Psychiatric Association, 2000)
  • Narrative citationAmerican Psychiatric Association (2000)

In-text citations

An APA 7 in-text citation for the DSM gives the group author and the year. Add a page number when you quote the manual, such as a diagnostic criterion word for word.

  • Spelled out: (American Psychiatric Association, 2022) or American Psychiatric Association (2022)
  • With the abbreviation, first time: (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022) in parentheses, or American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2022) in your sentence
  • With the abbreviation, every time after: (APA, 2022)
  • A quote: add the page: (American Psychiatric Association, 2022, p. 112)
  • Two editions at once: (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, 2022)

The abbreviation is optional. Use it when it saves you from repeating the full name, especially if you'll cite the DSM three or more times, and introduce it only once in the whole paper. Skip it if you also cite the American Psychological Association, because the reader can't tell the two APAs apart.

You can also shorten the manual's name in your own sentences. Write the full title in italics and title case the first time, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, put DSM-5-TR in parentheses after it, and use DSM-5-TR from then on. Italicize the nickname too, because it stands for a book title. APA Style's own DSM page writes it in italics.

Common mistakes

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: Author.American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596The city, state, and "Author" as publisher are APA 6. APA 7 drops the location, leaves out a publisher that matches the author, and adds the DOI.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.).American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787The text revision came out in 2022. The year, the edition note, and the DOI all have to belong to the same edition.
  • APA. (2022). DSM-5-TR.American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787The reference always spells out the group author and the full title. Abbreviations belong in your text, not on the references page.
  • (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022) ... (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020)(American Psychiatric Association, 2022) ... (American Psychological Association, 2020)Two different organizations can't share one abbreviation in the same paper. Spell both out every time.
  • American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787The DSM-5-TR's copyright page names American Psychiatric Association Publishing, the association's own press. APA Style's DSM examples treat that press as the author, so the name appears only once.

Quick checklist

  • American Psychiatric Association spelled out as the author
  • The year of the edition you used: 2022 for the DSM-5-TR, 2013 for the DSM-5
  • Full title in italics and sentence case, not the nickname
  • Edition in plain parentheses: (5th ed., text rev.)
  • No publisher, because the author published it
  • The edition's DOI as a link, with no period after it

Questions students ask

Is it (APA, 2022) or (American Psychiatric Association, 2022)?

Both are correct. Spelling it out is always safe. If you use the abbreviation, define it in your first citation, (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022), and use (APA, 2022) after that. Don't abbreviate if you also cite the American Psychological Association.

Do I include the DOI if I used a print copy?

Yes. APA 7 includes a DOI whenever the work has one, no matter how you read it. The DSM-5-TR's DOI is 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787, written as a link at the end of the reference.

How do I cite the DSM-5 instead of the DSM-5-TR?

Change the year to 2013, the edition to (5th ed.), and the DOI to https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596. Cite the edition you actually used. Diagnostic criteria and codes changed between the two.

How do I cite a specific disorder or chapter of the DSM?

Most papers cite the whole manual and add a page number in the in-text citation. If your instructor wants the chapter itself on the references page, format it like a chapter in a book: the chapter title, then In and the manual's title and edition, then the chapter's DOI.

Do I cite the DSM every time I write DSM-5-TR?

No. Cite it when you use information from it, like a criterion or a prevalence figure. Mentioning the manual by name in passing doesn't need a citation each time.

Is it DSM-V or DSM-5?

DSM-5. Starting with the fifth edition, the American Psychiatric Association switched from Roman numerals to an Arabic 5, so the current edition is the DSM-5-TR. Older editions keep their Roman numerals: DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 6.25, 8.13, 8.21, 9.11, 9.29, 9.34–9.35, 10.2, and 10.3, and the APA Style website's diagnostic manual references and group author abbreviation pages. Example sources verified against each edition's DOI at PsychiatryOnline and Crossref.

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