How to Write an APA Reference Page (Updated in 2020)

An APA Reference Page is a reference page that is written in APA style.   You may be asked to write a reference page as a stand-alone project, while researching sources for a term paper or essay, or as part of a research project. What is APA? The initials APA stand for the American Psychological Association, the author of the The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.   APA style refers to the current writing rules outlined in that publication, which is the Sixth Edition. APA style is usually used for the social and behavioral sciences, also known as the â€Å"soft† sciences.   However, some professors may ask you to use APA style for other types of writing.   In addition, some universities have even adopted APA style for all of their academic writing.   The style is compatible with all types of writing, from essays to dissertations. What is a Reference Page? A reference page is a section at the end of a research paper that includes a list of all of the works referenced within the paper.   Reference pages go by many names including: references, works cited, and bibliography. Reference lists are alphabetized by author last name, and use basic information to identify sources.   The information selected varies according to the type of source named, but generally includes: author last name, author initials, date of publication, title of the work, and the publisher. Format for Reference List The reference list immediately follows the conclusion of your paper, but begins on its own piece of paper.   It is labeled References, and the heading is centered at the top of the page.   The reference list is paginated along with the rest of the paper, and contains the same running head as the body of the paper. Like the rest of the paper, your reference list should be double-spaced, in a 10 or 12-point serif-type font, left-justified, have one-inch margins, and use a one-half-inch indent.   However, entries begin on the left margin, and are then indented for each additional line of the entry. How to Cite Sources in Reference List Simple Book Format Author Last Name, A.A.   (Year of Publication).   Title of work: Subtitle.   City, State: Publisher. Example: Stoker, B.   (1897).   Dracula: A mystery story.   New York, N.Y.: W.R. Caldwell Co. Book with Multiple Authors When there are multiple authors for a source,   each author is mentioned, in the order that they are listed on the book.   This rule applies up to 7 authors.   After that point, after the sixth author’s name provide ellipses and then conclude with the last author’s name. Last, A. A., Last, B. B. (Year). Title: Subtitle.   City, State: Publisher. Example: Pratchett, T. Gaiman, N.   (2006).   Good omens: The nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nutter, witch.   New York, NY: Harpertorch. Books with No Author or with a Corporate Author Organization Name.   (Year of Publication).   Title of work: Subtitle.   City, State: Publisher. The in-text citation format becomes: (Organization Name, Year, p. xx). Translated or Edited Books with Authors Author, A. A.   (Year). Title.   E. E. Editor (Ed.).   City, State: Publisher. The basic format for a translated book is: Author, A. A.   (Year).   Title.   (T. T. Translator, Trans.)   City, State: Publisher.   (Original work published 1814) Example: Marquez, G.G.   (2003).   100 years of solitude.   (G. Rabassa, Trans.)   New York, NY: Harper Collins.   (Original work published 1970). E-Readers Books accessed through Kindle or Nook have their own citation format: Author, A. A.   (Date of publication).   Title of book [Kindle DX version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com Author, A. A.   (Date of publication).   Title of book [Nook DX version]. Retrieved from Barnes and Noble Website Author, A. A.   (Year, Month Day).   Article title.   Retrieved from URL Example: Chemaly, S.   (2014, December 8).   50 actual facts about rape.   Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-facts-rape_b_2019338.html Online Encyclopedias Article name.   (Date).   In Encylopedia name.   Retrieved from URL Example: William Shakespeare.   (2017, May 9).   In Wikipedia.   Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare Article from an Online Periodical (Magazine or Non-Scholarly Journal) Author, A.A., Author, B.B.   (Date of publication).   Title of article.   Title of Online Periodical, volume number (issue number).   Retrieved from URL Example: Scherer, M. Altman, A.   (2017).   Trump’s loyalty test.   Time Magazine, 189 (20).   Retrieved from http://time.com/4783929/president-trump-loyalty-test/?xid=homepagepcd=hp-magmod Article from an Online Scholarly Journal Author, A.A. Author, B.B. (Date of publication).   Title of article, Title of Journal, volume number, page range.   doi: xxxx/xxxxx or http://dx.doi.org/xxx.xxx.xxx Example: Yardimci, V. H. Yardimci, A.H.   (2017).   An unusual first manifestation of Hodgkin Lymphoma: Epitrochlear lymph node involvement- A case report and brief review of literature.   J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep, 5(2).   doi:  10.1177/2324709617706709 Scholarly Journal with No DOI Author, A. A., Author, B. B.   (Date of publication).   Title of article.   Title of Journal, volume number.   Retrieved from URL Example: Kovan, M.   (2017).   Capital punishment: a Buddhist critique.   Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 21. Retrieved from http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/ Newspaper Articles (Online): Author, A. A., Author, B. B.   (Year, Month Day).   Title of article.   Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from URL Example: Takahashi, J.   (2017, May 19).   Judge dismisses Ahmed Mohamed ‘Clock Boy’ suit against Irving ISD.   Houston Chronicle.   Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/news/houston- texas/article/Judge-dismisses-Ahmed-Mohamed-Clock-Boy-suit-11159334.php Videos available on the internet Author, A. A.   [Screen name].   (Year, month day).   Title of video [Video file].   Retrieved from http://url or https://url Example:   Ã‚   Rainbow, R.   [Randy Rainbow].   (2017, May 15).   The Russia connection [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2OuJYaz_oE Motion Pictures Producer, P. P. (Producer), Director, D. D. (Director).   (Date of Publication).   Title of motion picture [Motion picture].   Country of origin: Studio or distributor. Example: Lear, N. (Producer), Reiner, R.   (Director).   (1987, October 9).   The princess bride [motion picture].   United States: Act III Communications. Example of an APA Reference Page Using the sources in our example, above, we have put together a sample APA Reference Page. References Chemaly, S.   (2014, December 8).   50 actual facts about rape.   Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-facts-rape_b_2019338.html Kovan, M.   (2017).   Capital punishment: a Buddhist critique.   Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 21. Retrieved from http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/ Lear, N. (Producer), Reiner, R.   (Director).   (1987, October 9).   The princess bride [motion picture].   United States: Act III Communications. Marquez, G.G.   (2003).   100 years of solitude.   (G. Rabassa, Trans.)   New York, NY: Harper Collins.   (Original work published 1970). Pratchett, T. Gaiman, N.   (2006).   Good omens: The nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nutter, witch.   New York, NY: Harpertorch. Rainbow, R.   [Randy Rainbow].   (2017, May 15).   The Russia connection [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2OuJYaz_oE Scherer, M. Altman, A.   (2017).   Trump’s loyalty test.   Time Magazine, 189 (20).   Retrieved from http://time.com/4783929/president-trump-loyalty-test/?xid=homepagepcd=hp- magmod Stoker, B.   (1897).   Dracula: A mystery story.   New York, N.Y.: W.R. Caldwell Co. Takahashi, J.   (2017, May 19).   Judge dismisses Ahmed Mohamed ‘Clock Boy’ suit against Irving ISD.   Houston Chronicle.   Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/news/houston- texas/article/Judge-dismisses-Ahmed-Mohamed-Clock-Boy-suit-11159334.php William Shakespeare.   (2017, May 9).   In Wikipedia.   Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare Yardimci, V. H. Yardimci, A.H.   (2017).   An unusual first manifestation of Hodgkin Lymphoma: Epitrochlear lymph node involvement- A case report and brief review of literature.   J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep, 5(2).   doi:  10.1177/2324709617706709 Conclusion If you are asked to write a paper in APA style, then you will need to include a reference page that provides correctly formatted APA style reference list citations.   The above examples should help you create the perfect reference page.   If you have any questions that are not cleared up by looking through our tutorials or referring to the 6th Edition of the The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, please feel free to contact us with them.