PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Wikipedia article

How to Cite a Wikipedia Article in APA 7

An APA 7 Wikipedia reference starts with the article's title in sentence case, then the date of the version you read in parentheses (year, month, and day), the words In Wikipedia, and the permanent link to that version, which ends in oldid= and a number. Wikipedia articles have no author, so the in-text citation uses the title in quotation marks: ("Florence Nightingale," 2026).

The format

Title of article. (Year, Month Day). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=xxxx&oldid=xxxx

PERRLA APA Experts ยท Updated October 22, 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

Paste the Wikipedia article's everyday link, the one with /wiki/ in it, into PERRLA's reference search, straight from your browser's address bar. PERRLA reads the article's title and the date of its latest edit, and it swaps that link for the permanent link to the current version, the one with oldid= in it. You don't have to dig through the page history to find it. Check the title and the date before you add it, and if you read an older version, change the date and the link to match that version.

Adding one by hand? Choose Reference Work, then Entry in a reference work, and pick Entry in Wikipedia. Type the article's title in Entry Title, pick the version's date in Last Modified Date, and paste the permanent link in the URL. PERRLA adds the In Wikipedia part and puts the title in quotation marks and title case in your citations.

Look up
Paste a Wikipedia link, get the reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale

Florence Nightingale. (2026, October 21). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florence_Nightingale&oldid=1381327270

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

The parts of the reference

1. Article title

Wikipedia articles have no author, so the article's title goes first. Write it in sentence case: capitalize the first word and proper nouns only. No italics and no quotation marks. End with a period.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Don't use a contributor's username as the author. Wikipedia articles are written by many people over time, and APA cites them by title.

2. Date of the version

Give the date of the version you read: the year, the month spelled out, and the day, in parentheses. Wikipedia articles change constantly, so this is the date of that version's last edit, not the day the article was created.

(2026, October 19).

Find it in the article's View history tab: the top entry is the current version, with its date and time. If you read the article weeks ago and it's been edited since, find the version from the day you read it and use that one's date.

3. In Wikipedia

Write In, then Wikipedia in italics, and a period. This is the same for every article.

In Wikipedia.

4. Permanent link

End with the permanent link to the version you used, so your reader sees exactly what you saw, even after the article changes. On Wikipedia, open the Tools menu and choose Permanent link, or open a version from View history. The address will contain oldid= and a number.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs&oldid=1380997737

With a permanent link, you don't need a retrieval date. Only a wiki that has no permanent links gets the regular URL with "Retrieved Month Day, Year, from" in front of it.

Examples

A Wikipedia article, current version

The Wikipedia article on Florence Nightingale, read on October 21, 2026, the same day its latest edit was made. The date is the date of that version, and the link is the version's permanent link. A person's name is a proper noun, so both words stay capitalized.

  • Parenthetical citation("Florence Nightingale," 2026)
  • Narrative citation"Florence Nightingale" (2026)

A Wikipedia article, quoting one section

The version of the article on Maslow's hierarchy of needs last edited on October 19, 2026. The title is in sentence case in the reference and in title case inside the quotation marks of the citation. Wikipedia has no page numbers, so a quote points to the section heading it came from, here "Criticism."

  • Parenthetical citation("Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs," 2026, Criticism section)
  • Narrative citation"Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" (2026, Criticism section)

An older version you read earlier

The Sepsis article as it stood on September 22, 2026. It has been edited since, so a student who read it in September cites that version: its own date and its own permanent link from View history, not today's version.

  • Parenthetical citation("Sepsis," 2026)
  • Narrative citation"Sepsis" (2026)

In-text citations

Wikipedia has no author, so the in-text citation uses the article's title, in quotation marks and title case, with the year of the version.

  • Parenthetical: ("Florence Nightingale," 2026). The comma goes inside the closing quotation mark.
  • Narrative: "Florence Nightingale" (2026) describes her work in the Crimean War.
  • Titles in sentence case: switch to title case inside the quotation marks, even though the reference keeps sentence case: ("Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs," 2026)
  • A quote: Wikipedia has no page numbers, so name the section heading the quote sits under, followed by the word section: ("Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs," 2026, Criticism section). Put quotation marks around the heading only when you shorten a long one. You can also count the paragraphs and give the number: ("Sepsis," 2026, para. 2).

Only the year goes in the citation. The month and day stay in the reference.

Common mistakes

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepsishttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sepsis&oldid=1376203322The everyday link always shows the newest version, which may not say what you quoted. APA wants the permanent link to the version you read.
  • Sepsis. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SepsisSepsis. (2026, September 22). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sepsis&oldid=1376203322Every Wikipedia version has a date, so it never needs n.d. Use the version's date and permanent link, and the retrieval date drops off.
  • Wikipedia. (2026). Sepsis. ...Sepsis. (2026, September 22). In Wikipedia. ...Wikipedia isn't the author. The article title goes first, and Wikipedia goes after In, in italics.
  • Sepsis. (2026, September 22). In Wikipedia.Sepsis. (2026, September 22). In Wikipedia.The article title is plain text. Only Wikipedia is italic.
  • (Wikipedia, 2026)("Sepsis," 2026)The citation matches the first part of the reference, which is the article's title.

Quick checklist

  • Article title first, in sentence case, not italic
  • The version's date: year, month, day
  • In Wikipedia, with Wikipedia in italics
  • The permanent link with oldid=, not the everyday link
  • No retrieval date when you have the permanent link
  • In-text: the title in quotation marks and title case, plus the year

Questions students ask

Can I cite Wikipedia in an APA paper?

APA gives a format for it, but whether you should is up to your instructor, so check the assignment. Wikipedia summarizes what other sources say, and many professors want you to cite those original sources instead, especially in nursing and the health sciences. A good habit is to use Wikipedia to get oriented, then follow its footnotes to the journal articles and reports it cites.

What date do I use for a Wikipedia article?

The date of the version you read, shown in the article's View history tab. It's the date of that version's last edit, not the article's creation date or the day you visited.

Where do I find a Wikipedia article's permanent link?

On the article, open the Tools menu and choose Permanent link. Or open View history and click the date of the version you used. Either way, copy the address that contains oldid= and a number.

Does a Wikipedia citation need a retrieval date?

Not when you use the permanent link, because that link always shows the same version. A retrieval date is only for wikis that don't offer permanent links.

Do I list an author for a Wikipedia article?

No. Wikipedia articles are written and edited by many volunteers, so APA starts the reference with the article title. Don't use a username or "Wikipedia contributors" as the author.

How do I cite Wikipedia in the text?

Use the article's title in quotation marks and title case, and the year: ("Sepsis," 2026). In a sentence, write "Sepsis" (2026) noted that... For a quote, add the section name, since there are no page numbers.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.14, 8.28, 9.12, 9.16, and 10.3, and the APA Style website's Wikipedia entry reference example. Each example's permanent link was opened on October 21, 2026, and its title and version date were confirmed in the article's revision history.

PERRLA turns a Wikipedia article's everyday link into the permanent link for its current version, with the date filled in.

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