Research Guides: Citations with APA : The References List

The References List

Format of the References Page

Each In-Text Citation must point the reader to a full APA citation in a References page at the end of your paper.

Remember these when formatting your References page:

Begin on a new page and center the word "References" at the top.
List must be in alphabetical order by the first element of each citation (usually Author's Last Name)
Double space all entries
Use hanging indents. When you format hanging indents, the first line of each citation begins at the far left margin and each subsequent line of the citation is indented 1/2 inch. The 'Paragraph' tool in Microsoft Word allows you to choose the 'Hanging' option from the 'Special' dropdown menu in the 'Indentation' section.

APA References Page Example:

This is an example of a References citation for a scholarly journal article in APA style:

Each citation will vary somewhat depending on the type of source, but it typically includes four elements:

Author: Who created the source?
Date: When was the source published?
Title: What is the source's name?
Source: Where can this source be accessed?

Author

Author names should be written as follows: LastName, FirstInitial.

Example:

Stein, S.

For multiple Authors (up to 19), separate each name with a comma and place an '&' before the final Author's name

Example:

Schneiderman, J., & Twamley, E.

If there are 21 or more Authors, list the first 19, add an ellipsis (...), and then include the last Author's name:

Example:

Young, E. I., Anderson, J. L., Taylor, M., Bennett, E. R., Smith, D. F., Collins, M., Roberts, I., Davis, S., Quinn, C., Evans, R., Patel, S., Franklin, J. M., O'Connor, M., Garcia, W. P., Nguyen, J., Hernandez, O., Martinez, A. T., Johnson, J., Lewis, D. A., …King, E.

Date

The Date follows the Author's name, written as follows: (####).

Example:

(2024).

Title

After the Date, add the Title of the work. Only the first word of the Title and Subtitle, along with any proper nouns, should be capitalized (this is known as "sentence case"). The Title ends with a period.

Example:

Exploring neural plasticity: Adaptive changes in the brain following sensory deprivation.

Source

The Source information appears at the end of the citation. For a scholarly journal article, this includes the Journal Name, Volume Number, Issue Number, Page Range, and DOI (digital object identifier):

Example:

Science Scope, 47(3), 18-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/08872376.2024.2340444

Continue to the next tab to see examples of how to format citations for various types of sources in APA style.

Scholarly Journal Articles

Format:

Author Last Name, First/Middle Initials. (Year of Publication). Article title: Subtitle. Journal Title, Volume Number(Issue Number), Page Numbers. DOI

Example:

Vu, T. V. (2024). Individual and collective responses to climate change. Land Economics, 100(2), 398-419. https://doi.org/10.3368/1e.100.2.121422-0103r1

Things to Remember:

Italicize the Journal Title and capitalize the first letter of each significant word (no articles, conjunctions, or short prepositions)
Italicize the Volume Number. Place the Issue Number in parentheses afterward without italics.
The DOI should begin with http:// or https:// and should not end with a period. It is usually found at the top or bottom of the first page of the article or in the article's database record.

If no DOI is available but the article was retrieved online, include the URL. If retrieved from a library database and no DOI is available, no URL is needed.

Example:

Sawa, G.D. (2023). Lives in musicology: My life in Arabic music—scholarship, translation, teaching, performance. Acta Musicologica, 95(2), 101-112. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/914002

Magazine or Newspaper Articles

Format:

Author Last Name, First/Middle Initial. (Year, Month Day of Publication). Article title: Subtitle. Magazine/Newspaper Title, Volume(Issue), Page Numbers. URL

Note: Not all citation elements will be present in all citations!

Examples:

Braaf, E. R. (2024, April). Dances with animals. Ask, 23(4), 6–13.

Gay, R. (2024, June 15). Goodbye, work friends. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/15/business/work-friend-roxane-gay-goodbye.html?smid=url-share

Tips:

The Date should begin with the Year, followed by the Month and Day.
Do not add a period after the URL.
Do not include "Retrieved from" or "Accessed" - This is an element from an older edition of APA.
For articles retrieved from a library database, do not include the database name or URL.
If no Author is listed, begin your Reference citation with the Article Title and then use a shortened Title for In-Text Citations.

Example:

Full Citation:

France is being thrown into uncharted territory. (2024, June 16). The Economist. https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/06/16/france-is-being-thrown-into-uncharted-territory

In-Text Citation:

("France is being," 2024)

Books and Book Chapters

Book Format:

Author Last Name, First/Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Book title: Subtitle. Publisher.

Example:

O' Connor, F. (1990). Wise blood. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Book Chapter Format:

Author Last Name, First/Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Chapter title. In Editor's First/Middle Initial, Last Name (Ed.), Book title: Subtitle (pp. Page Numbers). Publisher.

Example:

Belknap, J. (2019). Building blocks: Image. In C. Caldwell (Ed.), Graphic design for everyone (pp. 93-94). Penguin Random House.

Tips:

Use sentence case for book Titles.
For multiple Editors, list all and use 'Eds.'

Example:

Christians, C. G. (2011). Ethics and politics in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (pp. 61-80). Sage Publications.

Webpages

Format:

Author Last Name, First/Middle Initial. (Year of Publication, Month Day). Webpage title. Organization. URL

Example:

Shearer, E., Naseer, S., Liedke, J., and Matsa, K. E. (2024, June 12). How Americans get news on TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2024/06/12/how-americans-get-news-on-tiktok-x-facebook-and-instagram/

Tips:

Use the Organization name as the Author if no individual Author is identified.
For YouTube videos, use the following format:

Poster's Name, (Date). Video title [Video]. YouTube. URL

For podcast episodes, use the following format:

Host's Name(s) (Hosts). (Number or Date). Episode title [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast title. Producer. URL

Examples:

Website:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Preparing for earthquakes. https://www.cdc.gov/earthquakes/safety/

YouTube Video:

Sanders, B. (2024, June 20). LIVE: Addressing the crises facing public school teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/5oKb0S3-xjI?si=f-dT2CqVl92heG9b

Podcast Episode

Barber, R. G., Chinn, H., & Ramirez, R. (Hosts). (2024, June 18). Pluto isn't a planet — but it gives us clues on how the solar system formed [Audio podcast episode]. In Short wave. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/06/17/1250455739/pluto-dwarf-planet-solar-system-ceres

If no Date is available, use "n.d."

Example:

Full citation:

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Autism spectrum disorder. https://www.apa.org/topics/autism-spectrum-disorder

In-Text citation:

(American Psychological Association, n.d.)