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Reference Style Guide

1. Scope

EDITORY PRESS • Version 1.0 • Last updated: 2026-03-26

APA 7 is the baseline style unless a specific journal requires otherwise.

This guide defines the reference and citation style for Editory Press manuscripts. The default style is APA (7th edition) author–date. Journal-specific requirements may exist for article structure, peer review model, licensing, and APC/waivers, but APA 7 is the baseline citation style unless stated otherwise by the journal.

2. Rules

Use author–date in-text citations: (Author, Year).

Every in-text citation must appear in the reference list, and every reference list entry must be cited in the text.

Reference list is alphabetized by first author’s surname.

Use sentence case for article, chapter, and webpage titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).

Italicize journal title and volume number; italicize book titles.

Include DOIs whenever available in URL format: https://doi.org/xxxxx

Use a hanging indent for each reference list entry (Word: Paragraph → Special → Hanging).

3. In-text citations

Paraphrasing
One author: (Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023) argues …

Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023) or Smith et al. (2023) …

If no page numbers (web): use paragraph number if available: (World Bank, 2022, para. 3).

Direct quotations
Include page number(s): (Smith, 2023, p. 14) or (Smith, 2023, pp. 14–15).

3.3. Multiple works in one parenthesis

Order alphabetically, separated by semicolons: (Brown, 2021; Smith, 2023; World Bank, 2022).

3.4. Same author, same year

Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2020).

Use letters: (Lee, 2020a, 2020b). The letters must match the reference list.
Group/organization as author
First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020).

Two authors: (Smith & Lee, 2023) or Smith and Lee (2023) …

4. Reference list formatting

Alphabetize by first author’s surname.

Use hanging indent for each entry.

List up to 20 authors. For 21+ authors: list first 19, then an ellipsis (…), then the final author.

Write initials for given names (e.g., Smith, J. A.).

Use an ampersand (&) before the final author in the reference list.

5. Reference examples (copy and adapt)

5.1. Journal article with DOI

Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example: Smith, J. A., & Lee, M. K. (2023). Market efficiency under structural breaks: Evidence from emerging markets. Journal of Financial Studies, 18(2), 101–128. https://doi.org/10.1234/jfs.2023.0001

5.2. Journal article without DOI

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page–page.

Note: Include a URL only when the article is not easily retrievable via standard academic databases and a public URL is available.

5.3. Book

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.

Example: Jones, P. R. (2020). Applied econometrics with examples (2nd ed.). Academic Press.

5.4. Book chapter in an edited book

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

5.5. Conference paper / proceedings

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of paper. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of proceedings (pp. xx–xx). Publisher/Association. URL (if publicly available)

5.6. Working paper

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of working paper (Working Paper No. xxx). Institution. URL

5.7. Report (organization)

Format: Organization Name. (Year). Title of report. Publisher. URL

Example: World Bank. (2022). World Development Report 2022: Finance for an equitable recovery. World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/

5.8. Webpage

Format: Author/Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Site Name. URL

Note: If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name.

5.9. Preprint

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of manuscript [Preprint]. Repository Name. DOI/URL

5.10. Dataset

Format: Author/Organization. (Year). Title of dataset (Version) [Data set]. Repository. https://doi.org/xxxxx

5.11. Software / code repository

Format: Author/Organization. (Year). Title of software (Version) [Computer software]. Publisher/Repository. URL

Example: Doe, J. (2025). Replication code for: Market efficiency under structural breaks [Computer software]. GitHub. https://github.com/example/repo

6. Common errors to avoid

Missing references for cited claims (every citation must be in the reference list).

Reference list entries not cited anywhere in the text.

Wrong capitalization (APA uses sentence case for most titles).

Missing DOI when one exists.

Inconsistent author spellings or year mismatches between text and reference list.

Using “et al.” in the reference list (APA requires listing authors, not et al., except the 21+ rule).

7. Support

If you have questions about APA formatting or references, consult the journal’s “For Authors” information or contact the editorial office: [INSERT OFFICIAL EMAIL].

Home Publish with usReference Style Guide

Reference Style Guide

1. Scope

Download as PDF

EDITORY PRESS • Version 1.0 • Last updated: 2026-03-26

APA 7 is the baseline style unless a specific journal requires otherwise.

2. Rules

Use author–date in-text citations: (Author, Year).

Every in-text citation must appear in the reference list, and every reference list entry must be cited in the text.

Reference list is alphabetized by first author’s surname.

Use sentence case for article, chapter, and webpage titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).

Italicize journal title and volume number; italicize book titles.

Include DOIs whenever available in URL format: https://doi.org/xxxxx

Use a hanging indent for each reference list entry (Word: Paragraph → Special → Hanging).

3. In-text citations

Paraphrasing
One author: (Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023) argues …

Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023) or Smith et al. (2023) …

If no page numbers (web): use paragraph number if available: (World Bank, 2022, para. 3).

Direct quotations
Include page number(s): (Smith, 2023, p. 14) or (Smith, 2023, pp. 14–15).

3.3. Multiple works in one parenthesis

Order alphabetically, separated by semicolons: (Brown, 2021; Smith, 2023; World Bank, 2022).

3.4. Same author, same year

Subsequent citations: (WHO, 2020).

Use letters: (Lee, 2020a, 2020b). The letters must match the reference list.
Group/organization as author
First citation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020).

Two authors: (Smith & Lee, 2023) or Smith and Lee (2023) …

4. Reference list formatting

Alphabetize by first author’s surname.

Use hanging indent for each entry.

List up to 20 authors. For 21+ authors: list first 19, then an ellipsis (…), then the final author.

Write initials for given names (e.g., Smith, J. A.).

Use an ampersand (&) before the final author in the reference list.

5. Reference examples (copy and adapt)

5.1. Journal article with DOI

Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

5.2. Journal article without DOI

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page–page.

Note: Include a URL only when the article is not easily retrievable via standard academic databases and a public URL is available.

5.3. Book

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.

Example: Jones, P. R. (2020). Applied econometrics with examples (2nd ed.). Academic Press.

5.4. Book chapter in an edited book

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

5.5. Conference paper / proceedings

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of paper. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of proceedings (pp. xx–xx). Publisher/Association. URL (if publicly available)

5.6. Working paper

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of working paper (Working Paper No. xxx). Institution. URL

5.7. Report (organization)

Format: Organization Name. (Year). Title of report. Publisher. URL

Example: World Bank. (2022). World Development Report 2022: Finance for an equitable recovery. World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/

5.8. Webpage

Format: Author/Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Site Name. URL

Note: If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name.

5.9. Preprint

Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of manuscript [Preprint]. Repository Name. DOI/URL

5.10. Dataset

Format: Author/Organization. (Year). Title of dataset (Version) [Data set]. Repository. https://doi.org/xxxxx

5.11. Software / code repository

Format: Author/Organization. (Year). Title of software (Version) [Computer software]. Publisher/Repository. URL

Example: Doe, J. (2025). Replication code for: Market efficiency under structural breaks [Computer software]. GitHub. https://github.com/example/repo

6. Common errors to avoid

Missing references for cited claims (every citation must be in the reference list).

Reference list entries not cited anywhere in the text.

Wrong capitalization (APA uses sentence case for most titles).

Missing DOI when one exists.

Inconsistent author spellings or year mismatches between text and reference list.

Using “et al.” in the reference list (APA requires listing authors, not et al., except the 21+ rule).

7. Support

If you have questions about APA formatting or references, consult the journal’s “For Authors” information or contact the editorial office: [INSERT OFFICIAL EMAIL].