APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition): Reference List

As an academic student, you're likely familiar with the importance of citing your sources correctly in your research papers. In the world of academic writing, the American Psychological Association (APA) style is widely used for citations and references. The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual, released in October 2019, introduced some important changes to the way you format your reference list. In this blog post, we'll explore the basic rules of formatting your reference list according to APA 7th edition guidelines, with plenty of examples to help you understand the process.

Formatting Your Reference List

Your reference list is a crucial component of your research paper, as it provides readers with the information they need to locate and retrieve the sources you've cited in your paper. Here's how you should format your reference list:

1. Placement: Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper, on a separate page. Label this page "References" in bold, centered at the top, but do not underline or use quotation marks for the title.

2. Spacing: Use double-spacing throughout your reference list, just like the rest of your paper.

3. Indentation: All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is known as hanging indentation.

Now that we have the basic formatting rules in place, let's explore the specific guidelines for different types of sources and examples.

Basic Rules for Most Sources

For most sources, such as books and articles, follow these rules:

• Author Names: Invert the authors' names (last names first), and write their first and middle names as initials. If there's no middle name available, use only the first initial.

  Examples:

  • Smith, J. M.
  • Smith, J.

• Multiple Authors: For works with up to 20 authors, list all authors' last names and initials, separating each author's initials with a comma. Use an ampersand (&) before the last author's name. If there are 21 or more authors, use an ellipsis (...) after the 19th author and then add the final author's name.

  Example:

  • Smith, J. M., Johnson, A. L., Anderson, B. R., ... Clark, Z. K.

• Alphabetical Order: Arrange reference list entries alphabetically by the last name of the first author of each work.

• Titles: When referring to the titles of books, chapters, articles, reports, webpages, or other sources, capitalize only the first letter of the first word, the first word after a colon or dash, and proper nouns. Italicize titles of longer works (e.g., books), but do not italicize, underline, or use quotes for the titles of shorter works (e.g., chapters in books).

Now, let's look at specific examples based on the number of authors:

Single Author

• Format: Last name first, followed by author initials.
• Example:
  Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life. Duke University Press.

Two Authors

• Format: List both authors' last names and initials, separated by an ampersand (&).
• Example:
  Soto, C. J., & John, O. P. (2017). The next big five inventory (BFI-2): Developing and assessing a hierarchical model with 15 facets to enhance bandwidth, fidelity, and predictive power. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(1), 117-143. [DOI Link]

Three to Twenty Authors

• Format: List all authors' last names and initials, up to and including 20 authors. Use an ampersand before the last author's name.

More Than Twenty Authors

• Format: List all authors' last names and initials, up to the 19th author. After the 19th author, use an ellipsis (...) and then add the final author's name.

Group Author

• Format: Treat the publishing organization as the author's name and format the rest of the citation as usual.

  Example:

  • Merriam-Webster. (2008). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.

Unknown Author

• Format: Move the title of the work to the beginning of the references and follow with the date of publication. Use "Anonymous" only if the author is signed as "Anonymous."

  Example:

  • Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster.

Two or More Works by the Same Author

• Format: Use the author's name for all entries and list the entries by the year, with the earliest first.

Now, let's delve into articles in periodicals, such as journals, magazines, and newspapers.

Reference List: Articles in Periodicals

When citing articles in periodicals, including journals, magazines, and newspapers, follow these guidelines:

• Basic Format:
  Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. [DOI or URL]

Article in Print Journal

• Example:
  Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(3), 5–13.

Article in Electronic Journal

• Example:
  Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design: Negotiating community-oriented digital research with service-learning. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement, 6(1), 11–16. [DOI Link]

Article in a Magazine

• Example:
  Peterzell, J. (1990, April). Better late than never. Time, 135(17), 20–21.

Article in a Newspaper

• Example:
  Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. The Country Today, 1A, 2A.

Review

• Example:
  Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review of the book The self-knower: A hero under control, by R. A. Wicklund & M. Eckert]. Contemporary Psychology, 38(5), 466–467.

In your academic journey, you'll likely encounter various types of sources, and correctly formatting your reference list is essential for maintaining academic integrity and giving credit to the original authors. By following the APA 7th edition guidelines and using the examples provided, you can ensure that your reference list meets the highest standards of academic citation. Always remember to consult the latest APA Publication Manual for the most up-to-date guidelines. Happy writing and citing!