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APA 7 List of References

The following information is an abridged version of the style and formatting guidelines found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (2019) and Purdue Online Writing Lab. This sheet is to serve as a ready-reference; more in-depth descriptions can be found in the handbook. Remember to always consult your professor for specific instructions when formatting a paper.

General Reference Format

  • References appear at the end of your paper in continuous pagination.
  • The title “References” is bolded and is centered at the top of the page.
  • Entries are arranged alphabetically.
  • APA style prefers titles of the source material to be italicized.
  • The entire page is double-spaced, including the entries and the title.
  • The first line of a citation is flush with the left margin; subsequent lines are indented 1/2”, this is also referred to as a hanging indentation.
  • Format for author is as follows: Last name, first initial and middle initial (if known).
  • Abbreviations: Editor(s) = Ed. or Eds. Page Number(s) = p. (pp.) Edition = ed.
  • Note that titles in APA format should be in sentence case where the first word of the title or heading, first word of a subtitle, first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading are capitalized.

Sample Student Reference Page

Take Note of These Features

Heading: Page number (make sure the font and size of the page numbers are consistent with the paper’s text font and size).

Title: Centered and bolded.

Indentation: All entries have a hanging indentation.

A sample reference page with 6 cited sources. At the top right corner is the number 13, indicating the page number. At the top of the page is the title "References" in bold. Underneath are the six citations, all with hanging indents.

A Book with One Author

  • Author’s Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title. Publisher.

Example:

Nabokov, V. (1995). Lolita. Putnam.

A Book with Two to Seven Authors:

  • Author 1, & Author 2. (Year of Publication). Title. Publisher.

Example:

Cole, G. F., & Smith, C. E. (1996). Criminal justice in America. Wadsworth.

An Article or Chapter in an Edited Book:

  • Author(s). (Year of Publication). Title of work. In Editor(s)(Ed.), Book title (edition, page numbers). Publisher.

Example:

Graff, G. (1998). Learning to hate reading at an early age. In D. Richter (Ed.), Falling into theory (2nd ed., pp. 27-42). Bedford-St. Martins.

A Book with No Author:

  • Title (edition if provided). (Year of Publication). Publisher.

Example:

Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Merriam-Webster.

A Journal Article:

  • Author. (Year of Publication). Article title.  Journal Title, Volume number (Issue number), page number(s).

Example:

Krolik, R. (1994). Inventing instant Tv traditions: George Stevens, Jr., honoring just about everybody in sight. Television Quarterly, 27(2), 69-75.

A Newspaper Article:

  • Author. (Year of Publication, Date of Publication). Article title. Newspaper title, pp. page number(s).

Example:

Norris, F. (1994, November 27). Are 20 years of market joy about to end? New York Times, pp. F1.

A Magazine Article:

  • Author. (Year of Publication, Date of Publication). Article title. Magazine Title, Volume, page number(s).

Example:

Ezzell, C. (2000, July 2). The business of the human genome. Scientific American, 48-49.

Electronic Sources

A Website with an Author and Authoring Organization:

  • Author. (Year of Publication, Date of publication). Title of page. Title of site. URL

Example:

Kemerling, G. (2002, August 7). Aristotle. Philosophy pages. http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/aris.thm

A Website with No Author:

  • Title of page. (Year of Publication, Date of publication). Title of site. URL

Example:

Happy birthday, Tony Kushner. (2009, July 16). Finding Dulcinea. https://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/profiles/k/tony-kushner.html

An Online Journal Article with DOI/URL:

A DOI number is an alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency to scholarly papers to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet, even if the original site has been moved or deleted. DOI numbers are usually located at the top of the article along with the copyright information. If a DOI number is available for a journal article, include the DOI instead of the URL (Web address) in the citation.

  • Author. (Year of Publication). Article title. Journal Title, Volume number (Issue number), page number(s). DOI/URL

Example:

December, J. E. (1997). Notes on defining computer-mediated communication. Computer-Mediated Communication, 3(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3778.01.729

An Online Newspaper Article:

  • Author. (Year of Publication, Date of Publication). Article title. Newspaper Title. URL

Example:

Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com

A YouTube Video:

  • Author or Poster. (Year of Publication, Date of Publication). Title of video. URL

Example:

Daily, G. (2012, December 19). How to survive the apocalypse. http://youtube.com/watch?v=IBP6yriRFiQ

A Social Media Post:

  • For information about how to cite specific types of social media posts see section 10.15