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How to Cite Resources in APA 7- Adapted for Biblical Studies/Church History: Citing the Bible

by Sharon Ralston

APA Manual 8.28, 9.42, 10.2, 10.35 and the official APA Style website (Style>References>Examples)

*New: APA 7 now includes the Bible and other religious works (Torah, Qur'an) in the Reference List.

Identify the version you used for your first in-text citation. You don't need to include the version in subsequent in-text citations for the Bible unless you use another version. Remember to italicize the version title and use Arabic numbers and a colon. Abbreviations for the books of the Bible are not used in APA 7.

1.  Citing a single verse, print edition:

     In-Text Parenthetical  [= P  hereafter]:  "Quote" (English Standard Version, 2001/2009,1 Samuel 10:8). 

    Reference List [=R hereafter]:  The English Standard Version Bible: Containing the Old and New Testament with Apocrypha. (2009). Oxford University Press. (Original work published 2001)

2. Citing a passage from an annotated/study Bible, print edition:

     P:  "Quote" (Coogan, 2010, 1 John 1: 1-5).

     R:  Coogan, M. D. (Ed.). (2010). The new Oxford annotated study Bible: New Revised Standard Version: with the Apocrypha (4th ed.). (2010). Oxford University Press.

3. Quoting a verse from an online version of the Bible:

   P:  "Quote" (English Standard Version, 2001/2011, Isaiah 42:1).

   R:  English Standard Version. (2011). STEP Bible. https://www.stepbible.org/?q=version=ESV|reference=Isa.42 (Original work published 2001)

If no date is provided for the website nor for the edition of the Bible version used, put (n.d.).  To discover that date as well as oftentimes the original date/copyright date of publication of a Bible version, check if the website provides that information.  STEP Bible does this readily and Bible Gateway often cites the work at the bottom of the page displaying your selected Bible verses/passage.  Additionally, here is the list of Available Versions with linked copyright information for Bible Gateway -- sometimes omitted when the work is in the public domain.  You might need to check a library catalog or use Google to search for reliable publication data (ie, perhaps the publisher's website).


     Also see the authoritative APA Style website for additional examples and details.