The reference page is a crucial element of your research paper. It helps your readers locate the sources you cited in your paper so they can read more about your topic if interested. The reference page is formatted according to guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA) to ensure consistency across academic fields.
What goes on the reference page?
Your reference page should include all sources cited in the body of your paper. This typically includes books, scholarly journal articles, government documents, and websites. List entries in alphabetical order by authors’ last names. Some key elements to include for common source types are:
Books:
Author’s last name, first initial(s). (Publication year). Title of book. Publisher.
Example: Smith, J. (2020). Writing great research papers. Pearson Education.
Journal articles:
Author’s last name, first initial(s). (Publication year). Article title. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), page range.
Example: Johnson, M. (2018). Effects of social media on mental health. Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 456-465.
Websites:
Author’s name if available (or title if no identifiable author). (Date of publication). Title of document. URL
Example: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 5). Mental health. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/index.htm
Formatting the reference page
Here are the basic formatting guidelines for the reference page:
Begin the page on a new page and label it “References” (without quotation marks) centered at the top.
List entries alphabetically by authors’ last names. For works with no identifiable author, list alphabetically by title.
Double space all entries. Do not skip spaces between entries.
Flush left the first line of each entry and indent subsequent lines.
Use the “Hanging indent” tool to format entries so the first line of each is at the margin and subsequent lines are indented.
Use the same font as the rest of your paper (usually Times New Roman 12pt or similar).
Follow APA guidelines to create a consistently formatted, alphabetized reference list of all sources cited in your paper. This allows readers to easily locate additional information on cited works.
Example APA reference page
Here is a sample reference page with four fictional entries formatted according to APA guidelines:
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 5). Mental health. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/index.htm
Johnson, M. (2018). Effects of social media on mental health. Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 456-465.
Smith, J. (2020). Writing great research papers. Pearson Education.
Williams, A., Thomas, C., & Johnson, S. (2019). Impact of stress on college students. College Mental Health Journal, 9(4), 213-222.
As shown in this example reference page:
The page is labeled “References” centered at the top.
Entries are alphabetized by authors’ last names.
Entries are double spaced with consistent formatting and indentation.
Sources are described consistently with key elements for each type.
Following APA style guidelines ensures your reference page is easy for readers to navigate and locate additional sources. Take care to format entries consistently, alphabetize properly, and include all necessary information for each source. This allows your paper to achieve professional presentation and credibility.