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APA 7th edition - Citations: Reference List

APA 7th edition

Reference List

The reference list is an alphabetical list of every source you used. It comes at the end of your paper and each reference entry should have corresponding in-text citation(s). Do not include sources you looked at but did not include in your assignment.


Most reference citations follow the same general format, regardless of source type (ie. journal article vs. book vs. website). The main differences are the parts of the citation that are in italics. Using the pages in this guide, find the type of source you are citing and create your citation based on the examples on that page. 

Use the checklist in the Tips for Reference Lists box below to ensure you meet all reference list requirements. 

General Format:

Author, A. A. (date). Title. Publisher Information. DOI/URL (if applicable)

Article example: 

O'Connor, C. & Zaidi, H. (2021). Communicating with purpose: Image work, social media, and policing. Police Journal, 94(3), 333-352. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X20932957

Book example:

Adams, T. M. & Anderson, L. R. (2019). Policing in natural disasters: Stress, resilience, and the challenges of emergency management. Temple University Press.

Website example:

Mulhauser, G. (2014, December 20). An introduction to cognitive therapy & Cognitive behavioural approaches. Counselling Resource. http://counsellingresource.com/types/cognitive-therapy/

For more examples, review the pages of this guide. 

Resources

What is a DOI?

DOI = Digital Object Identifier 

A unique alphanumeric code that provides a persistent link for electronic items (articles, books, etc.).

Example: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024996

If a DOI is available for a source, always include it in the reference citation (even for print sources)

How do I find the DOI for an article?
  1. Check the first page of the article for a DOI (top and bottom corners are common placement areas).
  2. DOIs are often included in database records. If you're searching the library databases, and if an article or book has a DOI, the DOI will be near the bottom of the record page for that item (click on the article title to see the record page).

Tips for Reference Lists

Use the checklist below to make sure your reference list meets all APA requirements:

  • Begin the reference list on a new page with References centred and bold at the top of the page.
  • What words to capitalize: 
    • Article, chapter or book title: only capitalize (1) the first word in the title; (2) proper nouns; (3) the first word following a colon (example: Capitalize the first word: This is called sentence case). 
    • Journal title: capitalize every major word in a journal title.
  • Italicizing titles: Italicize journal titles, volume numbers and even the comma following the journal title. Do not italicize chapter titles, article title or issue numbers (i.e., the number in parentheses after the volume number).
  • Web resources: Italicize the titles of reports and other documents that standalone. Do not italicize the titles of blog posts, online forum messages, comments, etc. 
  • URLs in reference lists: It is acceptable to keep or remove hyperlinks. 
    • Generally, keep the hyperlink if your paper will be read online; remove hyperlink if your paper is in print. If removed, keep font colour consistent (i.e., black).
    • Be consistent: if you remove one hyperlink, it is best to remove them all, and vice versa.
    • Journal article references do NOT include the URL copied from a Library database.
    • URL:  you may shorten long URLs using a URL shortener such as bitly.com 
  • DOIs: A digital object identifier (DOI) provides a persistent link to a journal article’s location on the internet. Provide the DOI if it is available.
    • Article with no DOI from library database – appears same as a print article (no URL).
    • Article with no DOI from a webpage – include a direct link to access the article 
  • Page numbers: Abbreviations for “page” and “pages” (“p.” and “pp.”) are used before page numbers of newspaper articles and articles in edited books but not before page numbers of articles in magazines and scholarly journals.
  • No date: Use (n.d.) if your source does not have a date.
  • Alphabetical by author’s last name: Arrange reference list in alphabetical order by author’s last name.
    • Do NOT re-alphabetize authors’ names within each reference. They should be kept in the order they appear in the book, article, chapter, website, etc.
    • If a work has no author or editor, the title takes the author position and is alphabetized by the first word of the title other than “A,” “An,” or “The.”
  • Hanging indent: Use hanging indents for reference list entries. A hanging indent is when the first line in an entry starts on the left margin and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inch (in Word, CTRL-T for hanging indent). 
  • Multiple works by the same author: If the reference list includes two or more entries by the same author(s), list them in chronological order (oldest first). If entries are by the same author and the same year, put them in alphabetical order by first letter of the title.  Add a lower-case letter (a, b, etc.) after the year, within the parentheses, e.g. (2019a).