Creating an APA Reference List for a Research Paper
The reference list is an important component of any research paper. It provides readers with the sources you used to support the claims and statements you made in your paper. The reference list appears at the end of your paper and provides full bibliographic information for all the sources you cited. As most college papers require APA format, you will need to know how to format reference list entries based on APA style guidelines.
For research papers requiring APA format, the reference list should appear on a new page at the end of the paper with the title “References” centered at the top. All reference list entries should be double spaced and formatted with a hanging indent (the first line of each entry is flush left while subsequent lines are indented .5 inches from the left margin). Your reference list should only include sources that were cited within your paper. Each entry should provide enough detail so a reader could locate the exact source used.
Some key aspects to remember regarding APA reference list entries:
Authors’ names are inverted (last name first followed by initials).
Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work. If there is no author, alphabetize by the title, ignoring “A”, “An” or “The” that begin the title.
Titles for articles, chapters, and web pages are written in sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized). Titles for periodicals, books, brochures, reports and other stand-alone works are italicized and have every word capitalized except for prepositions, conjunctions, and articles.
Publication dates appear in parentheses after the title.
Page numbers or page ranges are included for articles from periodicals or for chapters from edited books. Pincite or specific page numbers should be included for direct quotes.
Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are included when available for journal articles and other sources with DOIs.
URLs are included for online sources like websites and online journal articles without DOIs. The date the source was accessed should also be included.
Supplemental materials like interviews, lectures or private communications have specific date formats and include descriptions in brackets.
Below are some examples of common reference list entries that may appear in a research paper reference list following APA style guidelines:
Journal Article with One Author
Smith, J. (2019). The effects of stress on academic performance in college students. Journal of College Health, 67(5), 455-465. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1515707
Journal Article with Two Authors
Jones, L., & Johnson, C. (2020). Building resilience in first-year college students. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 32(1), 9-25.
Journal Article with Three to Five Authors (List all authors for first citation, subsequent citations list only first author followed by “et al.”)
Thomas, A., Jacobs, K., Taylor, M., McCarthy, M., & Weiss, B. (2018). Promoting self-care among college students: A pilot intervention program. College Student Journal, 52(2), 183-196.
Journal Article with Six or More Authors
Green, A., Samuels, J., Gomez, L., Castaneda, S., Brown, L., Mitchell, J. A., et al. (2021). Stress and coping among minority college students. Journal of Social Issues, 77(1), 88-110. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12351
Magazine Article (Popular or Scholarly)
Franklin, D. (2022, June). Supporting first-generation college students through technology. Educause Review, 57(3), 12-25.
Newspaper Article with No Author
Student loan burdens affect housing market. (2023, January 19). New York Times, p. B3.
Conference Presentation or Paper from Conference Proceedings
Finkelstein, E. (2020, November). Identifying areas for self-care interventions in college health centers [Conference session]. North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Annual Meeting, virtual conference. https://www.naspag.org
Government Report
United States Department of Education. (2019). First-generation students: College access, persistence, and postbachelor’s outcomes. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2021/2021201.pdf
Dissertation or Thesis from Database
Butler, A. C. (2021). Stress, health behaviors, and academic performance in college undergraduates [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Whole Book with One Author
Decker, L. E. (2018). First-generation college students: A study on self-care and academic achievement. New York, NY: Routledge.
Book Chapter
Klein, A. E. (2020). Stress and the first-year experience. In R. A. Mallow (Ed.), College student mental health: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 65-80). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000138-004
Website or Webpage
Mayo Clinic. (2021, March 10). College health resources. https://www.mayoclinic.org/college-health-guide
Webpage/Article from Online Database
Lueck, C. (2022, August 12). Strategies to help first-generation college students succeed. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/08/12/strategies-help-first-generation-college-students-succeed
Interview or Telephone Conversation
Taylor, L. (2022, September 14). Personal interview describing campus mental health initiatives [personal communication].
This covers the basic types of entries you may encounter when creating an APA reference list for a research paper. It provides examples of many commonly used source types formatted according to the latest APA style guidelines. Keep these examples as a reference when finalizing your reference list to ensure all sources are properly cited. An APA formatted reference list with fully documented sources helps provide credibility and integrity to your research.
Andrew Stroud