Format References Page APA | Clean Rules Students Trust

You can write a strong paper and still lose points on the last page. A references page is easy to scan, so small slips stand out.

This article shows how to set up the page, build each entry, and handle the sources students cite most, using APA 7 style.

What The References Page Does

The references page is the list of full source details that match your in-text citations. Each entry tells a reader who created the work, when it was released, what it’s called, and where it can be found.

What Belongs In The List

• Only items you cited in your paper
• One entry per source (no duplicates with tiny wording changes)
• Sources that a reader can retrieve

What Usually Stays Out

• Sources you read but never cited
• Personal messages like texts or emails (often cited in-text only)
• Materials behind a class login, unless your instructor wants them listed

Page Setup Rules

Fix layout first. Then polish each entry.

Start On A New Page

Place the references page after the last line of your paper. Many student papers place it before appendices.

Use The Title “References”

Center References at the top of the page and set it in bold. Keep it plain.

Double Space The Whole Page

Double spacing applies to the title line and every entry. Skip extra blank lines between entries unless your class rules say to add them.

Lock In Double Spacing

In Word, “double” spacing is not always the same as “2.0” in some templates. Use the Line spacing menu and pick Double, then set “After” spacing to 0 pt so Word doesn’t sneak in extra space.

Use A Hanging Indent

Each entry uses a hanging indent: first line flush left, then each later line indented 0.5 inches (1.27 cm).

Word: select the list → Paragraph settings → Special: Hanging → 0.5″. Google Docs: Format → Align & indent → Indentation options → Special indent: Hanging → 0.5″.

Hanging Indent Troubleshooting

If your indent keeps “breaking,” it’s usually tabs or manual spaces. Delete any tab marks at the start of lines, then reapply the hanging indent setting to the whole list.

If a single entry wraps strangely, check for a hard line break inside the entry. Remove it, then let the text wrap naturally.

Match Font And Margins

Use the same font and size as the rest of your paper and keep 1-inch margins unless your instructor set different rules.

Format References Page APA With A Simple Build Order

Most entries follow one reliable order: author, date, title, then source. Build the entry left to right, keeping punctuation tight.

The Four Parts You’ll Use Repeatedly

APA references are made from four parts: author, date, title, and source. The APA Style site breaks down these parts on its page about elements of reference list entries.

Author Part

Write people as last name, then initials: Hernandez, P. R. For two authors, add an ampersand before the last: Hernandez, P. R., & Lee, T.

For 3 to 20 authors, list all authors, then place an ampersand before the final author. For group authors, write the group name as it appears in the source.

Date Part

Place the year in parentheses. Add month and day when the source gives them, then add a period.

• (2022).
• (2024, May 18).
• (n.d.).

Title Part

Use sentence case for most titles: capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. Keep the rest lower case.

Italicize titles that stand alone, like books and reports. Keep container titles in italics too, like journal names and volume numbers.

Source Part

Finish with the detail that lets a reader retrieve the work: publisher, journal name with DOI, or a direct URL. Do not add a period after a DOI or URL.

Ordering Rules

Once entries are written, place them in the right order.

Alphabetize By The First Author

Sort by the first author’s last name. For group authors, sort by the group name.

If there’s no author, move the title into the author position and alphabetize by the first word of the title (ignoring “A,” “An,” and “The”).

Same Author, Multiple Works

Order items by year from oldest to newest. If two items share the same year, add letters to the year: 2023a, 2023b. Match those letters in your in-text citations.

DOI Vs URL

Use a DOI when it exists. Use a direct URL for web pages, reports, and other items meant to be read online. For articles found in library databases with no DOI, many classes accept a standard journal entry without a database link.

Titles Used As Authors

When there’s no author, the title moves into the author spot. Use the title in sentence case. If it’s a web page, keep it plain; if it’s a report or book, italicize it.

Alphabetizing these entries is simple: ignore “A,” “An,” and “The,” then sort by the next word. A title that starts with “The study of…” is sorted under “S,” not “T.”

Quick Match Check With In-Text Citations

A fast way to catch missing entries is to scan your in-text citations first. Write down each author name (or title) you used, then check that each one appears once in the reference list.

Next, scan the reference list and confirm each entry is cited in the paper. If an entry is never cited, it may belong in your notes, not in the list.

Rule Your Instructor Checks	What To Do	Common Slip
Page title	Center “References” in bold on its own line	Writing “Works Cited” or adding extra words
Spacing	Double space the page with no extra blank lines	Adding extra lines between entries
Indent	Use a 0.5″ hanging indent for every entry	Indenting the first line instead
Author names	Last name, initials; use “&” before the final author	Writing full first names or using “and”
Date	Put the date in parentheses right after the author part	Placing the date near the end
Title style	Sentence case for work titles; title case for journal names	Capitalizing every major word in an article title
End detail	Use publisher, DOI, or page URL; no period after DOI/URL	Adding a period after the link
List order	Alphabetize by author; year order for same author	Sorting by the order you cited them

Ready-To-Copy Reference Templates

Use these as patterns. Replace bracketed parts with your source details and keep punctuation as shown.

Journal Article With A DOI

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal,volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Journal Article Without A DOI

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal,volume(issue), page–page.

Journal Details Checklist

Keep journal parts consistent. The journal name is in title case and italic. The volume number is italic too. The issue number sits in parentheses right after the volume and is not italic. Use an en dash for page ranges (123–145). Put the DOI in URL form.

Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle in sentence case (Edition if listed). Publisher.

Chapter In An Edited Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Web Page On A Site

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

If the author and site name match, APA often drops the site name. You can cross-check the official setup and examples on the APA Style page for reference list setup.

Report Or Government Document

Group Author. (Year). Title of report (Report No. if listed). Publisher. URL

Polish Moves That Raise The Grade

After the list is correct, polish it so it reads cleanly.

• Check capitalization: sentence case in work titles, title case in journal names.
• Check italics: italicize containers and stand-alone works, not article titles.
• Check spacing: double spacing only, no blank lines added by habit.
• Check links: keep URLs short and direct; remove tracking strings when they are not part of the source URL.

Tricky Cases Students Run Into

When a source feels messy, stick to the same build order and fill what you can.

No Author

Start with the title, then place the date after it. Alphabetize by the title.

No Date

Use (n.d.). in the date spot. Keep the rest of the entry the same.

Many Authors

List up to 20 authors in the reference list. For 21 or more, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the final author.

Retrieval Dates

Add a retrieval date only for pages that change over time, like a wiki entry. Most stable pages do not need one.

Source Type	Template Core	Notes
Journal article	Author. (Year). Title. Journal,volume(issue), pages. DOI/URL	Use DOI when present; omit a period after DOI/URL
Book	Author. (Year). Title (Edition). Publisher.	No city or state in APA 7 publisher info
Web page	Author. (Date). Page title. Site. URL	Drop site name when it matches the author
Report	Group. (Year). Report title (No.). Publisher. URL	Include report number when listed
Chapter	Author. (Year). Chapter title. In Editor (Ed.), Book (pp.). Publisher.	Use the chapter page range

Final Checklist Before Submission

Run this list once. It catches most grading issues fast.

1. Title line says “References,” centered and bold.
2. Whole page is double spaced.
3. Each entry has a 0.5″ hanging indent.
4. Entries are alphabetized by author or by title when no author exists.
5. Each entry follows author → date → title → source.
6. DOIs and URLs have no period after them.
7. Each in-text citation has a matching entry, and nothing extra is listed.