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APA Referencing Guide: Entries

Header - The Reference List

The Reference List - Entries

Reference List - Entries

Reference List - Entries

 

Basic Principles

 

Each entry in a Reference list will generally have four elements:  Author - Date - Title - Source.

 

Author    -   Who is responsible for the work

Date        -   When the work was published

Title        -   The name of the work

Source   -   Where the work can be found

General Punctuation

  • A full stop is placed after each element in the reference.  Do not  place a full stop after a DOI or a URL.  If a title ends with a question mark, then the question mark replaces the full stop.

  • Punctuation marks (usually commas or parentheses) are used between parts of the same reference element.
  • Do not use a comma between a journal volume and its issue number. Place the issue number in parentheses directly after the volume number instead.
  • If a title contains punctuation marks (eg a comma, or colon in a book title) then, these punctuation marks should also appear in italics in your reference list entry. However, punctuation that appears between elements (eg. the full stop that appears after an italicised book title) should not appear in italics.

 

Author, Editor names

 

  • A full stop is placed after each initial.  If more than one initial, separate them with a single space. e.g. Smith, A. B.
  • Use a comma to separate an author's initials from additional author names, even when there are only two authors.
  • Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name: e.g. Smith, A. B., & Jones, C. D.
  • A source with multiple authors:  Provide surnames and initials for up to (and including) 20 authors. Use an ampersand before the final author's name. e.g. Smith, A. B., Jones, C. D., & Taylor, E. F.
  • Use the abbreviations Ed. or  Eds. (in round brackets) for editor / editors.

 

Hanging indentation and double line spacing

 

Full references in the Reference list should appear with both 'hanging indentation', and double line-spacing.

e.g.

Scheer, H. (2007). Renewable energy is the future. In H. Garardet (Ed.),

Surviving the century: Facing climate chaos & other global challenges

(pp. 35-55). Earthscan.

 

 

The place of publication is not required.

 

A full reference should include the name of the publisher but not the place of the publication.

e.g.

Sapolsky, R. M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst.

Penguin Books.

 

Publication date unavailable

 

If the publication date is not available then use (n.d.)
In-Text Citation example Reference List example

According to Sapolsky (n.d.), the way in which humans behave is very much determined by previous events and experiences.

or,

The way in which humans behave is very much determined by previous events and experiences (Sapolsky, n.d.).

Sapolsky, R. M. (n.d.). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin Books.