According to the APA Publication Manual (7th edition) the Bible can be a great resource to reference in an academic paper. But many people do not know how to properly cite it. It is important to cite the Bible in order to avoid plagiarism and to give credit to the author. In this article, we will discuss how to cite the Bible APA 7th Edition.
When citing a Bible verse, the first detail to include is the book name, chapter, and verse. For example, if citing the verse Luke 4:7, the Bible citation will look like this: (Luke 4:7).
When citing a Bible reference, the Bible version abbreviation should be included with the book name. For example, if citing from the King James Version (KJV), the Bible citation should appear as such: (Psalms 23:4, KJV).
When referencing an entire chapter or book of the Bible, the abbreviation for the book name and the chapter should be used. For example, (Proverbs 3 or Proverbs).
It is important to include the year of the translation that you are citing when the Bible reference is quote from another version. For example, if you are citing from the New International Version (NIV), the Bible citation should look like this: (Psalms 23:4, NIV, 2011).
When citing a Bible passage, the Bible version should be written in full and italicized. After the version, the particular fact or idea being referenced should also be italicized. For example, (Bible, New International Version, Psalms 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”).
Print Versions of the Bible
When referencing a print version of the Bible, use the abbreviations “p.” for page, “pp.” for pages and “l.” for line. The Bible version should be written in full at the end of the citation and italicized. For example, (Psalms 23:4, p. 110, NIV).
When citing a Bible passage from the print version, the page numbers should appear first. For example, (p. 116, Bible, New International Version, Psalms 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”).
Online Versions of the Bible
When referencing the online version of the Bible, the author name, abbreviation, year and URL should appear on the citation. For example, (Bible, NIV, 2011, https://www.biblegateway.com).
When citing a Bible passage from the online version, the URL should appear first. After the URL, the particular fact or idea being referenced should also be italicized. For example, (https://www.biblegateway.com, Bible, New International Version, Psalms 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me”).
Standard Bible Citations in Text
In the body of a paper, the Bible citation should appear directly after the text being referenced, with the full Bible citation appearing in the references list at the end of the paper. For example, the passage “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NIV) can be referenced in the text itself like this: “As Paul wrote, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13, NIV)”.
Multiple Bible Versions
If more than one version of the Bible is cited in the paper, distinction should be made between the Bible versions being referenced. It is recommended that the version being referenced first should be listed first in the citation, with all other Bible versions in the citation listed alphabetically. For example, if referencing from both the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and the New International Version (NIV), the citation should appear as follows: (Philippians 4:13, NASB; NIV).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
As with any type of citation, make sure to double check that the information being referenced is accurate. Do not randomly add the Bible version to a paper, as the year of translation should be included with any reference made to a different version. Additionally, make sure that the book name is correctly abbreviated when referencing a passage from the Bible.
Overall, proper citations are a key part of proper academic writing. By following these simple guidelines on how to cite the Bible APA 7th Edition, you can ensure that your writing is both accurate and free from plagiarism.
