APA Reference List Guide

Learn how to create and format your reference list in APA style, including proper organization, formatting, and examples for different source types.

Basic Guidelines

  • Start the reference list on a new page
  • Center the title "References" at the top
  • Double-space all entries
  • Use hanging indentation (0.5 inch/1.27 cm)
  • Alphabetize entries by author's last name
  • Include all sources cited in the text

General Format

Basic Structure

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of work. Source.

Author Element:

  • Last name, followed by initials
  • Use & for multiple authors in reference list
  • List up to 20 authors
  • For 21+ authors, list first 19, ... last author

Date Element:

  • Use parentheses
  • Include year for most sources
  • Add month for magazines, newsletters
  • Use "n.d." if no date is available

Title Element:

  • Capitalize only first word and proper nouns
  • Italicize titles of longer works
  • Use quotation marks for shorter works

Source Element:

  • Include publisher for books
  • Add DOI or URL for online sources
  • Specify database name if necessary

Examples by Source Type

Journal Article

Smith, J. D., & Johnson, M. R. (2023). Effects of mindfulness on stress reduction. Journal of Psychology, 45(2), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1000/journal.psych.2023

  • Include DOI when available
  • Include issue number in parentheses
  • Italicize journal title and volume number

Book

Wilson, A. B. (2022). Understanding cognitive development. Academic Press.

  • Italicize book title
  • Include publisher name
  • Omit location unless necessary

Website

National Institute of Mental Health. (2023, July 15). Depression: What you need to know. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/depression

  • Include retrieval date only for changing content
  • Use specific date if available
  • Include direct URL

Special Cases

No Author

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster.

Move title to author position

Organization as Author

World Health Organization. (2023). Global health report 2023. https://www.who.int/reports/2023

Write out full organization name

Formatting Tips

Hanging Indentation

First line starts at margin

Subsequent lines are indented

0.5 inch (1.27 cm) from margin

Alphabetization Rules

  • Ignore "A", "An", "The" at beginning of titles
  • Use nothing-precedes-something principle
  • Alphabetize letter by letter
  • Treat Mc and Mac as spelled out

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't include sources not cited in text
  • Don't forget hanging indentation
  • Don't mix citation styles
  • Don't abbreviate journal titles unless standard
  • Don't include personal communications

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)

Format:

https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Guidelines:

  • Always include DOI when available
  • Use https://doi.org/ format
  • No period after DOI
  • Present as hyperlink if possible