How to Cite Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

A peer-reviewed journal article is an article that has been reviewed by experts in the field. For this reason, peer-reviewed journal articles are considered academically rigorous and factually correct and are some of the best sources to use when writing a term paper. However, like any source, peer-reviewed journal articles must be cited, and cited correctly. The exact format for correctly citing a peer-reviewed journal article will depend which style guidelines you are using. APA, MLA and Chicago/Turabian are the most commonly used style guidelines.

Citing a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article in APA Style

List the name of the article author, with the last name first, followed by the first initial. For example:

List the year of publication, followed by a period. Enclose this information within parentheses. For example:

List the title of the article, followed by a period. Only capitalize the first letter of the title. For example:

List the title of the journal, followed by a comma. Italicize this information. For example:

List the volume number and then the issue number in the following format:

Make sure that the volume number is italicized, but do not italicize the issue number. If no issue number is listed, or if the issue is paginated by volume rather than issue, simply list the volume number followed by a comma. For example:

List the pages on which the article appears, followed by a period. For example:

Make sure that the citation appears in the following format:

Be sure to italicize both the journal title and the volume number.

Citing a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article in MLA Style

List the name of the author in a last name, first name format. For example:

List the title of the journal article within quotes. Place a period after the title. For example:

List the title of the journal in italics.

List the volume and issue of the journal separated by a period. For example:

If no issue number is given, simply list the volume number.

List the year of publication in parentheses, followed by a colon. For example:

List the page numbers on which the article appears, followed by a period. For example:

List the medium of publication, followed by a period. For example:

Make sure the final citation appears in the following format:

Be sure to italicize the title of the journal.

Citing a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article in Chicago/Turabian Style

List the name of the article author with the last name first, followed by a comma, followed by the author's first name. Place a period after this information. For example:

List the title of the article in quotations, followed by a period. For example:

List the name of the journal, followed by the volume number. The name of the journal should appear in italics. For example:

List the year of publication in parentheses, followed by a colon. For example:

List the page numbers on which the article appears, followed by a period. For example:

Ensure that the finished citation appears in the following format:

Remember to italicize the title of the journal.

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