References are an important part of any research paper. Not only do they provide credibility to the content that is written but they also allow readers to further explore the ideas and research findings described in the paper. When writing in APA (American Psychological Association) style the references section is required. Here are the key basics in formatting references for an APA style research paper.
The references section should always appear at the end of the paper after any appendixes or attachments. It provides the full bibliographic details of each source that was cited within the paper. The references need to be listed alphabetically by the first authors last name or if no author is provided, then by the first significant word of the title. Each reference follows a specific style format as per APA guidelines. It is important to be consistent in terms of font, spacing and punctuation to ensure references are readable and standardized.
One key thing to remember is that only sources that were cited within the body of the paper should appear in the references list. Any uncited sources should not be included. Readers want to be able to quickly and easily match citations to the actual references. Consistency is a must according to APA style.
The hanging indent format is used for references. This means that the first line of each reference is flushed against the left margin while subsequent lines are indented so they are hanging under the first line. An indent of five to seven spaces is recommended. This hanging indent makes it easier for readers to visually identify where one reference stops and the next begins. Keep references single spaced with a blank line between each reference.
The author’s last name and date of publication format is used for citations within the body of the paper. For example: (Smith, 2020). The exact year should always be provided in citations and references. If no year of publication is found then use “n.d.” meaning no date. Whenever possible include the exact page number referenced using “p.” or “pp.” before numbers respectively. For example (Smith, 2020, p. 42) or (Smith, 2020, pp. 42-45). Make sure all citations within the text match up perfectly with the corresponding full reference details at the end.
Let’s look at some reference examples demonstrating the variety of APA reference formats:
Journal Article References
Khan, S. (2016). The role of emotions in decision making. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 29(4), 471-480. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.1923
This is a standard example of a journal article reference listing the author’s last and first name, year of publication in brackets, article title with sentence case capitalization, journal title in italic with title case capitalization, volume number in bold, issue number in brackets (if applicable), and page range. The DOI number is included at the end if present.
Book References
Freeman, M., & Bosanquet, A. (2006). The sociological imports of phenomenology. In P. Stenner, J. Cromby, J. Harrison, & D. Joughin (Eds.), The construction of social problems: Qualitative approaches. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403983596_7
For a chapter or part in an edited book, list the author(s), year, chapter or part title in sentence case within double quotation marks, editor details starting with “In” followed by editor’s names separated by commas and “Eds.” in brackets, book title in title case italicized, publisher, and URL/DOI.
Online Newspaper Article Reference
Ross, A. (2020, March 2). Coronavirus impacting global supply chains. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-is-hitting-supply-chains-around-the-world-11583092801
For an article from an online newspaper, list the author’s name, date of publication in brackets year, month, day format, article title in sentence case within quotation marks, name of the newspaper in italics, and the URL of where the article was retrieved from including the publishing date if available.
Website Reference
World Health Organization. (2020, December 1). Immunization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/immunization#tab=tab_1
For information from a website but not a specific article, list the name of the organization, publication date in year, month, day format in brackets, title in sentence case within quotation marks, name of website in italics, and URL retrieved from.
When formatting references pay attention to punctuation, capitalization, indentation and font details to ensure consistency. Since references are grouped together alphabetically, it is helpful to generate reference cards for each source while writing to then insert in the correct order at the end. Citation management software programs can also assist in properly formatting references with just a few clicks. Consistency is key according to APA style so double check all references match their corresponding in-text citations perfectly. Having references in good order adds credibility and allows readers to easily check sources.
The APA reference style requires references to always be listed on a new page at the end of the research paper in alphabetical order by author’s last name or title if no author is provided. Hanging indentation should be used and references should be single spaced with an empty line between each one for readability. In-text citations within the body of the paper should match up correctly to the full reference details at the end. Formatting references properly according to APA guidelines shows attention to detail and allows readers to investigate sources further which improves the quality and credibility of the research. Following the specific reference formats outlined for different types of sources ensures consistency is maintained.
Andrew Stroud