Creating a reference list in APA (American Psychological Association) style is a fundamental aspect of academic writing. This guide, updated to align with the 7th Edition of the APA Publication Manual, provides essential rules for formatting your reference list, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and academic integrity in your research papers. Proper referencing not only gives credit to the original authors but also allows readers to delve deeper into your sources.
Formatting Your APA Reference List
The reference list is always placed at the end of your paper, on a separate page. It’s crucial for readers to locate and verify the sources you’ve cited within your text. Remember, every source cited in your paper must be included in the reference list, and conversely, every entry in the reference list must have a corresponding in-text citation.
Begin your reference list on a new page after the main body of your paper. Center the title References in bold at the top of the page. Do not underline or use quotation marks. The entire reference list, like the rest of your paper, should be double-spaced.
Basic APA Referencing Rules for Most Sources
These rules apply broadly to most types of sources you’ll encounter, forming the foundation of APA referencing.
- Hanging Indentation: Every line after the first line of each reference entry should be indented half an inch from the left margin. This is known as a hanging indent and enhances readability.
- Author Names: Invert all authors’ names, placing the last name first, followed by a comma, and then the first and middle names as initials.
- For example, for an author named John David Doe, the reference would start with “Doe, J. D.” If only a first name initial is available, use that: “Doe, J.”
- Listing Authors: Include up to 20 authors in your reference list. Separate each author’s initials with a comma. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19, then insert an ellipsis (…), and finally, add the last author’s name.
- Alphabetization: Entries in your reference list should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work.
- Chronological Order: For multiple works by the same author (or identical author lists), arrange them chronologically, starting with the earliest publication year and progressing to the most recent.
- Capitalization for Titles: When referencing titles of books, chapters, articles, reports, webpages, and similar sources, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, the first word following a colon or em dash, and proper nouns.
- For instance, a book title might be: The impact of social media: A global perspective.
- Italicization: Italicize titles of longer works such as books, journals, newspapers, and edited collections.
- No Quotation Marks or Underlining for Shorter Works: Do not italicize, underline, or use quotation marks for titles of shorter works like book chapters or articles within journals or edited collections.
Specific APA Referencing Rules for Academic Journal Articles
Academic journal articles hold significant weight in research and therefore have specific referencing rules within APA style.
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Full Journal Titles: Always present journal titles in their entirety. Do not abbreviate them.
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Italicize Journal Titles: Journal titles are always italicized.
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Maintain Original Punctuation and Capitalization: Preserve any unique punctuation and capitalization styles used in the journal’s title.
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Capitalize Major Words in Journal Titles: Capitalize all major words in journal titles. This is a key difference from the capitalization rule for other source types.
- Example: Journal of Applied Psychology
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Capitalize First Word and Proper Nouns in Article Titles: For journal article titles, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or em dash, and any proper nouns.
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No Italics, Underlining, or Quotation Marks for Article Titles: Do not italicize, underline, or enclose article titles in quotation marks.
- For example, to reference an article titled “The Benefits of Mindfulness in Education” published in the journal Educational Psychology Review, the article title would appear as: Benefits of mindfulness in education.
- The journal title would be: Educational Psychology Review.
Important Note: While this guide covers the basic rules for APA referencing, the APA manual is comprehensive. For less common sources or more complex situations, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition, or find a similar example within the manual to guide your formatting. Accurate and consistent APA referencing is crucial for academic integrity and effective communication in your research.
