APA 7th Referencing: Compiling a Reference list

Compiling a Reference list

All in-text references should be listed in the reference list at the end of your document. The purpose of the reference list entry is to contain all the information that a reader of your work needs to follow-up on your sources. An important principle in referencing is to be consistent.

When compiling your APA Reference List, you should:

  • List references on a new page with a centred heading titled: References.
  • Include all your references, regardless of format, e.g. books, journal articles, online sources, in one alphabetical listing from A - Z.
  • Order entries alphabetically by surname of author(s).
  • List works with no author under the first significant word of the title.
  • Indent second and subsequent lines of each entry (5-7 spaces).
  • Use double spacing.
  • Note that all references in APA end with a full stop except when the reference ends with a URL or a DOI.

APA Style has an excellent worksheet that takes you through how to formulate various Reference List entries:

Below are examples of a Journal article and Book formats. Refer to individual format pages for further examples, and the Sample Reference List page for an example of a Reference list.

Journal article

A basic reference list entry for a journal article in APA must include:

  • Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
  • Year of publication of the article (in round brackets).
  • Article title.
  • Journal title (in italics).
  • Volume of journal (in italics).
  • Issue of journal (no italics).
  • Page range of article.
  • DOI (presented as a hyperlink, for example https://doi.org/xxxxx).
  • The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Example: 

Ruxton, C. (2016). Tea: Hydration and other health benefits. Primary Health Care, 26(8), 34-42. https://doi.org/10.7748/phc.2016.e1162

Book

A basic reference list entry for a book from a library database in APA must include:

  • Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
  • Year of publication of the book (in round brackets).
  • Book title (in italics).
  • Edition (in round brackets), if other than first edition.
  • Publisher.
  • DOI (where a book has a DOI this must be included, even if you are referring to a print book).
  • The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Example: Morley, C., Ablett, P., & Macfarlane, S. (2019). Engaging with social work: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.