Reference List Format
The reference list at the end of a paper provides the information needed to locate and retrieve the source documents cited in the paper.
General Notes on Reference Lists:
- Begin the reference list on a new page after the text.
- Label the page "References" in bold, centered at the top.
- Include only sources that were referenced in the paper.
- Arrange entries in alphabetical order by last name of first author.
- Use a hanging indent: the first line is at the left margin; subsequent lines are indented five spaces.
- Double space the entire list both within and between entries
- No extra space needed between entries; the hanging indents indicate the separate citations.
- One space after all punctuation.
- Use only the initials of the authors' first and middle names.
- List all authors in reverse order: last name, first and middle initials.
- If two or more authors are listed, use an ampersand (&) in front of the last author.
- List up to twenty authors; if there are more than twenty authors, list the first nineteen followed by an ellipsis, then the last author. (APA 7, 9.8).
- Use commas after authors' names and before an ampersand.
- If no author is given, start with the title and then the date. Incorporate these into the list in proper alphabetical order, ignoring initial articles.
- Capitalize only the first words and proper nouns of book or article titles and subtitles; capitalize all important words in a journal/magazine/newspaper title.
- Italicize the names of books and periodicals.
- Most reference list entries end with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL. (See "What's a DOI?" in the left sidebar of this guide.)
