How to cite a review in APA 7

References and in-text citations for reviews

This guide explains how to create the APA reference and in-text citations for a review. The reference author is the person who wrote the review, and the reviewed work appears after the title in square brackets.

The remaining format follows the place where the review appeared, which may be a journal, newspaper, or webpage.

Basic structure

Review Author, A. A. (Date). Title of review [Review of the work Title, by Creator]. Publication Source. DOI or URL

Inside the brackets, identify the work type, title, and primary creator when useful. For a film, that person may be the director. For a book, it is the author.

Book review example

The names and details are illustrative.

Reference

Lopez, A. M. (2024). Reading the city through its neighborhoods [Review of the book Everyday maps, by J. Salcedo]. Journal of Urban Studies, 9(1), 88–90.

Parenthetical citationThe source is identified in parentheses, normally with the author and year: (Perez, 2024).

(Lopez, 2024)

Narrative citationThe author is part of the sentence and the year appears in parentheses: Perez (2024).

Lopez (2024)

Reviews in different publications

A newspaper review needs a complete date and the newspaper name. A review published as a webpage uses the website name and URL. A scholarly journal review may include volume, issue, pages, and a DOI.

Do not cite the creator of the reviewed work as the review author. That person appears only in the bracketed description, while the in-text citation points to the review writer.

More review examples

All names, works, and addresses are illustrative.

Film review in a journal

Reference

Arias, N. P. (2023). An intimate view of university life [Review of the film The house of questions, by L. M. Restrepo, Dir.]. Journal of Film and Education, 6(2), 110–112.

Parenthetical citation:The source is identified in parentheses, normally with the author and year: (Perez, 2024). (Arias, 2023)

Narrative citation:The author is part of the sentence and the year appears in parentheses: Perez (2024). Arias (2023)

Television episode review on a website

Reference

Castro, M. (2024, March 7). A finale that turns doubt into learning [Review of the television series episode “The last question,” by S. Leon, Writer & Dir.]. Open Screen. https://example.com/reviews/last-question

Parenthetical citation:The source is identified in parentheses, normally with the author and year: (Perez, 2024). (Castro, 2024)

Narrative citation:The author is part of the sentence and the year appears in parentheses: Perez (2024). Castro (2024)

Video game review

Reference

Vargas, P. L. (2024, June 15). Solving problems while building a city [Review of the video game Logic City, by Parallel Studio]. Games and Learning. https://example.com/reviews/logic-city

Parenthetical citation:The source is identified in parentheses, normally with the author and year: (Perez, 2024). (Vargas, 2024)

Narrative citation:The author is part of the sentence and the year appears in parentheses: Perez (2024). Vargas (2024)

How to check the reference

• The reference author wrote the review.
• You identified the reviewed work in square brackets.
• You followed the format of the publication containing the review.
• You included a DOI or URL when appropriate.
• The citation uses the review author's surname and year.

See all APA reference types.