Citation style
APA 7th Edition
APA 7 uses (Author, Year) in text and a 'References' list at the end, alphabetised by surname with hanging indents. Legal sources follow a Bluebook-aligned format.
Generate a citation in APA 7When to use it
- Modules taught in faculties that use APA (psychology, criminology, social work).
- Inter-disciplinary projects combining legal and empirical sources.
Core rules
In-text
(Surname, Year) for a paraphrase; (Surname, Year, p. X) for a quote.
Three or more authors
Use the first author followed by 'et al.' in the very first citation.
DOIs
Include DOIs as full URLs (https://doi.org/...) at the end of journal references.
Worked examples
Journal article
Raw source: Cathi Albertyn, 'Substantive equality and transformation in South Africa', SAJHR vol 23 (2007), page 253
Albertyn, C. (2007). Substantive equality and transformation in South Africa. South African Journal on Human Rights, 23(2), 253-276.
Book
Raw source: Iain Currie & Johan de Waal, The Bill of Rights Handbook, 6th edition, Juta, 2013
Currie, I., & de Waal, J. (2013). The Bill of Rights handbook (6th ed.). Juta.
Statute
Raw source: Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (S. Afr.).
Common pitfalls
- Use '&' inside parentheses and the word 'and' in narrative text.
- Capitalise only the first word of a book/article title (and proper nouns).
- Don't omit the issue number — '23(2)' is correct.