How to Cite Yourself: Format, In-Text Citation and Disclosure

You cite your own work exactly as you cite anyone else’s. A self-citation has no special format: the reference entry follows the pattern for the source type (journal article, thesis, preprint, dataset), and the in-text citation uses your surname like any other author’s. What does change is the duty around it. When a manuscript reuses your published text or data, the journal expects a visible reference to the earlier publication and, in many cases, a note to the editor.

Do you format a self-citation differently?

No. In APA 7th edition, the reference entry depends on the type of source, not on who wrote it. Your own article, thesis or dataset uses the same elements, order and punctuation as a colleague’s. The ethics of self-citation (when it is appropriate, when it inflates metrics) are covered in the CASRAI entry on self-citation; this page covers the mechanics.

The format: one template per source type

These templates come from APA’s official reference guide and reference-examples handout. Every example below uses a fictitious author, “Example”, and is an illustration, not a real publication.

• Journal article: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Name of the Periodical, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx. The article title is in sentence case; the periodical title is in Title Case and italic; the issue number is in parentheses and not italic; the page range uses an en dash.
• Thesis or dissertation from a database: Author, A. (Year). Title (Publication No. #) [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name.
• Preprint: Author, A., & Author, B. (Year). Title of preprint. Server Name. URL
• Dataset: Author, A. (Year). Title of dataset (ID; Version) [Data set]. Repository. https://doi.org/…
• Conference session: Presenter, A. (Year, Month Day-Day). Title [Conference session]. Conference Name, City, ST, Country. URL

Examples with a fictitious author

Each line below is an example of the pattern, written as if the fictitious researcher “A. Example” were citing their own earlier work.

• Example, A., & Sample, B. (2023). Effects of sample size on bias. Journal of Example Studies, 12(3), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.0000/example.123
• Example, A. (2018). Study of examples (Publication No. 00000000) [Doctoral dissertation, Example University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
• Example, A., & Sample, B. (2020). Spacing and recall in examples. ExampleServer. https://example.org/abc12/
• Example, A. (2022). Example survey responses (EX-001; Version 1) [Data set]. Example Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.0000/example.v1
• Example, A. (2019, August 8-11). Writing as a skill [Conference session]. Example Convention, Chicago, IL, United States. URL

For an article that grew out of your dissertation, cite the dissertation entry above and read publishing journal articles from a thesis or dissertation for what the journal needs to know.

In-text citation version

The in-text form is the same for your work as for anyone’s. APA 7th edition uses author and year: parenthetical (Example, 2023) and narrative Example (2023). A work with three or more authors is shortened to the first author plus “et al.” from the first citation, for example (Example et al., 2023). A direct quotation adds the page: (Example, 2023, p. 20).

MLA 9th edition cites a one-author work by author surname, with a page if there is one: (Example 194). Two authors are joined by “and”. Chicago 18th edition lists up to two authors in notes and author-date text citations, and for more than two it gives the first author plus “et al.” (CMOS 13.23, 13.107).

When you must also tell the journal

This is the part most citation guides skip. The ICMJE Recommendations, which many biomedical journals follow, treat publishing a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published as duplicate publication when there is no clear, visible reference to the earlier paper. Authors who try it without notification should expect at least prompt rejection.

• Prior reporting: if the submission includes work already reported in large part in a published article, the letter of submission should say so clearly, and the related material should be given to the editor.
• Same dataset: manuscripts from the same data set should carry appropriate citation of previous publications from it, for transparency. Secondary analyses of clinical trial data should cite any primary publication.
• Preprints: it is the author’s responsibility to inform a journal if the work was previously posted on a preprint server.
• Secondary publication: an acceptable secondary version tells readers and documenting agencies that the paper was published before, and cites the primary reference.

For the difference between legitimate reuse and misconduct, see plagiarism vs self-plagiarism, the definition of self-plagiarism, and the guide to salami slicing and redundant publication.

Common errors

• Reusing text or data without a citation. Under the ICMJE position above, the missing visible reference is what turns reuse into duplicate publication.
• Not telling the journal about a preprint or earlier report. The citation in the reference list does not replace the statement in the cover letter.
• Listing an unavailable manuscript in the bibliography. Chicago 18th edition (14.114) says unpublished manuscripts that are not available to others are usually mentioned in the text or in notes, not listed in the bibliography or reference list.
• Writing “Retrieved from” before every URL. In APA 7th edition it is used only when a retrieval date is also needed; a DOI is written as https://doi.org/…, without the “DOI:” label.

Style-guide edition

The patterns above follow APA 7th edition (2020); APA’s reference-examples handout was last updated 3 March 2026 and its reference guide 23 March 2026. The current editions as of October 2026 are APA 7th (2020), MLA 9th (2021) and Chicago 18th (2024).

FAQ

Can I cite my own unpublished paper?

It depends on the style. Chicago 18th edition says an unpublished manuscript that others cannot get is usually mentioned in the text or notes rather than listed in the bibliography (14.114). For a thesis or dissertation held by a database, APA 7th edition has a reference pattern, shown above.

Is citing myself self-plagiarism?

Citing yourself is the remedy, not the offence. The problem is reusing published text or data without a clear reference to it. See types of plagiarism for the wider picture.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-29 unless noted.

• APA Style, reference-examples handout (last updated 3 March 2026): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf
• APA Style, reference guide (last updated 23 March 2026): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-guide.pdf
• APA Style, In-Text Citation Checklist: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/in-text-citation-checklist.pdf
• APA Style, Guide to What’s New in the 7th Edition: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/whats-new-7e-guide.pdf
• Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, What’s New: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/help-tools/what-s-new.html
• MLA Style Center, In-Text Citations Overview: https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/
• MLA Style Center, complex in-text citations quiz: https://style.mla.org/quiz-complex-in-text-citations/
• ICMJE, Overlapping Publications: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/overlapping-publications.html