Learn How to Format APA Reference Page With Examples

Ever felt stuck when it comes to putting together that list of sources at the end of your research paper? 

You're not alone! Many writers find it tricky, especially when dealing with citation styles like APA. The American Psychological Association has distinct guidelines for formatting the reference page of your academic papers. But don’t worry! 

This blog is your go-to guide for making a perfect APA reference page. We'll explore the rules of APA style in simple terms, covering things like how to write authors' names, put things in order, and how to use italics. 

Let’s get started!

What is the Reference Page in an APA Style Paper?

In an APA-styled paper, you need a separate reference page at the end of your paper with a list of references for all the sources you used in your text. This is the reference page of an APA format paper. 

The main job of the reference page is to show where your information came from, so readers can check it out if they want to. 

All reference list entries are mentioned on the reference page along with their bibliographical information. According to the guidelines of the 7th Edition of the APA Publication Manual, there are distinct rules that you should follow to format the reference page. 

Move on to the next section to understand the general rules for formatting the reference page.

How to Make an APA Reference Page?

If you’re wondering what an APA reference page looks like, look at the guidelines below, and you’ll have your question answered.

• Page Title
  

The reference page includes a title named, “References” in bold. You don’t need to italicize or underline the title. Use a 1-inch margin from the top for the title.

• APA Reference Page Spacing 
  

Always use a clear and readable font like Times New Roman or Arial in 12-point size. Maintain double spacing throughout, without any additional lines between the references.

• Hanging Indentation
  

Create a hanging indent for each reference entry. The first line of each entry starts flush left, with subsequent lines indented by 0.5 inches.

• Author Names 
  

Every reference includes the author names, but not in the same manner they were used in the in-text citations. Every author's name should be inverted. This implies that last names should come first. For example, if the author’s name is Mark Robinson Fred, you would write his name as Fred, M. R.

• Alphabetical Order
  

Arrange references alphabetically by the authors' last names. Include the source and if it lacks an author, use the title for alphabetization (ignore initial articles like 'A', 'The', or ‘an’). If you’re referencing more than one source for a single author, organize the source by publication in chronological order.

• Italicization
  

You should italicize book and journal titles and remember to use quotation marks for journal articles but not for shorter works such as chapters in books etc. 

• Capitalize Properly 
  

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title and subtitles. Capitalize all major words in the title.

What Sources Should You Avoid?

When listing references on the APA reference page, there are some sources which you don’t need a citation for. Examples of these sources are:

• Personal communications such as emails, personal interviews, phone conversations, etc. 
  
• Common knowledge
• Wikipedia
  
• Sources that you used for consultation

One thing to note here is that interviews that you conducted as a part of your research should not be considered personal communication. You can reference them on the reference page.

Examples of APA Reference Page Entries 

Here are a few examples of APA reference entries that you can include on the reference page of your paper.

Book with One Author 

Book With Multiple Authors

Book With 2–20 Authors

For sources having up to 20 authors:

• Use a comma to separate the initial name of each author from the next author in the list
  
• Use an ellipsis (…) before the final author’s name 
  

Book With More Than 20 Authors

This reference includes the first author's last name and initials, followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”), the publication year in parentheses, the title of the book in italics, and the name of the publisher.

Journal Article 

Remember to list the title of the article in sentence case.

For citations ending with a DOI, do not include a period at the end. 

Newspaper Article 

Website 

Meeting Abstract 

Audiovisual Work (e.g., YouTube Video) 

Tweet 

Reference Page vs. Bibliography vs. Works Cited Page  

Although the APA style uses the title “Reference Page”, different citation formats have different names for the page of bibliographical information. It is important for you to understand which citation styles use different names for the reference page. 

Look at this table below:

Wrapping it up, this comprehensive blog has informed you about every single detail related to the APA reference page. From the setting up the page to the format of the references, we have covered everything extensively. 

After a thorough read of this guide, you will be able to format your paper’s reference page exactly according to the APA format.

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