APA References. Formatting the APA reference page. Free lesson slides. APA citations in the text. The basics. In-text citations are brief references in the current text that direct readers to the reference, APA style rules. prioritizes continuity, fluidity, conciseness and clarity in the interest of easy-to-understand writing. A formal, direct tone is preferred. do not use contractions or colloquial expressions. You are free to refer to yourself in the first person if you are the one who did the research. Begin the reference with the author's last name and initials, followed by the publication date in parentheses. Provide the title of the article, but capitalize only the first letter of the title. Next, include the journal or periodical number and volume in italics, followed by the issue number in parentheses. Some basic rules of APA format apply to any type of APA article. These include: Type on standard size 8.5 inch paper. Have a margin of 0.3 cm on all sides. Have a title page, a list of references and a signature. Use an easy-to-read font such as Calibri or Times New Roman.