How to Cite a Journal Article

Journal articles are the most common source in academic writing, and citing them correctly matters. This guide shows the same journal article formatted in seven major citation styles so you can see exactly what changes between them.

The Article We're Citing

Source details

Authors: James Omondi and Priscilla Kariuki
Year: 2022
Title: Digital literacy and academic performance in Kenyan universities
Journal: Journal of Educational Technology
Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Pages: 112–127
DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921

Before you start: Find the article's DOI (Digital Object Identifier). It looks like 10.xxxx/xxxx and is usually on the first page of the article or on the database record. A DOI is more reliable than a URL and is required by most citation styles.

APA 7th Edition

APA 7

Omondi, J., & Kariuki, P. (2022). Digital literacy and academic performance in Kenyan universities. Journal of Educational Technology, 18(3), 112–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921

In-text: (Omondi & Kariuki, 2022) or Omondi and Kariuki (2022)

Article title in sentence case (only first word and proper nouns capitalised)
Journal name in italics, title case
Volume number italicised; issue number in parentheses, not italicised
DOI formatted as a hyperlink: https://doi.org/...
No "pp." before page numbers for journal articles (unlike book chapters)

MLA 9th Edition

MLA 9

Omondi, James, and Priscilla Kariuki. "Digital Literacy and Academic Performance in Kenyan Universities." Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 18, no. 3, 2022, pp. 112–127, doi:10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921.

In-text: (Omondi and Kariuki 115) — author-page, no year

First author surname first; second author in normal order (first name first)
Article title in title case, in double quotation marks
Volume and issue written as: vol. 18, no. 3
Pages preceded by "pp."
DOI written as doi:10.xxxx (lowercase, no hyperlink format needed)

Harvard

Omondi, J. and Kariuki, P. (2022) 'Digital literacy and academic performance in Kenyan universities', Journal of Educational Technology, 18(3), pp. 112–127. doi: 10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921.

In-text: (Omondi and Kariuki, 2022) — note "and" not "&"

Article title in single quotation marks, sentence case
Uses "and" not "&" between authors
Volume and issue written as: 18(3)
Pages preceded by "pp."

Chicago Author-Date

Chicago AD

Omondi, James, and Priscilla Kariuki. 2022. "Digital Literacy and Academic Performance in Kenyan Universities." Journal of Educational Technology 18 (3): 112–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921.

In-text: (Omondi and Kariuki 2022) — no comma between author and year

Chicago Notes-Bibliography

Chicago NB

Footnote: James Omondi and Priscilla Kariuki, "Digital Literacy and Academic Performance in Kenyan Universities," Journal of Educational Technology 18, no. 3 (2022): 112–127, https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921.

Bibliography: Omondi, James, and Priscilla Kariuki. "Digital Literacy and Academic Performance in Kenyan Universities." Journal of Educational Technology 18, no. 3 (2022): 112–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921.

Note: footnote has first name first; bibliography has surname first for first author only

Vancouver

Omondi JA, Kariuki PM. Digital literacy and academic performance in Kenyan universities. J Educ Technol. 2022;18(3):112–27. doi: 10.1080/10494820.2022.2043921.

In-text: (1) or [1] — numbered by order of appearance, not author name

No quotation marks around article title; no italics for article title
Journal name abbreviated: "Journal of Educational Technology" → "J Educ Technol"
Year followed by semicolon: 2022;18(3):112–27
Pages may use short form: 112–27 (not 112–127)

Information to Gather Before Citing

✓All author surnames and initials/first names
✓Year of publication
✓Full article title (exact capitalisation)
✓Journal name (full and abbreviated)
✓Volume number and issue number
✓First and last page numbers
✓DOI (preferred over URL when available)

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