Skip to Main Content

APA Citation & Format (7th ed.)

Formatting a Reference List

When formatting the APA reference list, the following guidelines should be followed:

  1. Start the reference list on a new page after the main body of the paper.
  2. Use the heading "References" centered at the top of the page.
  3. List all sources in alphabetical order by the author's last name. If there is no author, use the title of the source.
  4. Use a hanging indent for each reference, where the first line is flush left, and subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches (or 1.27 cm).
  5. Include all necessary information for each source, following the specific format for different source types (e.g., books, journal articles, websites, etc.).
  6. Use italics for titles of books, journals, and other longer works. Only capitalize the first word of the title and any proper nouns.
  7. For journal articles, include the volume number (in italics) and issue number (in parentheses) after the journal title.
  8. For electronic sources, provide a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if available. If a DOI is not available, include the URL or a stable URL (permalink) for the source.

Remember to consult the APA Publication Manual or online resources for comprehensive instructions on formatting the reference list for various types of sources.

(Please check Sample Student Paper page 10.)