APA Format Works Cited Example | Pass APA Checks

Lots of students type “works cited” when they mean APA. That’s normal. MLA uses “Works Cited.” APA uses References. Same purpose: show where ideas, quotes, data, and images came from, then let a reader trace them later.

If you’re here because you need an apa format works cited example, treat that phrase as “APA References page examples.” You’ll get the same result: clean in-text citations that match a tidy reference list.

What “Works Cited” Means In APA

In APA style, the list at the end is titled References. If a teacher says “works cited” in an APA class, treat it as a naming habit, not a different rule set. Use APA rules and label the page “References.”

APA runs on an author–date system. Each in-text citation points to one reference entry. Each reference entry lines up with at least one in-text citation. When those two parts match, your reader can verify your source fast.

Reference List Setup You Should Follow

Start the References list on a new page after your main text. Center the label “References” at the top. Double-space the whole list, keep a hanging indent for each entry, and sort entries alphabetically by the first author’s last name.

Small detail that trips people: your list title is plural. It’s “References,” not “Reference.” Also, don’t label it “Works Cited” in APA unless your instructor gives that exact instruction in writing.

If your class uses APA 7, stick with it across pages.

Reference Entries Built From Four Parts

Most APA references are built from four parts in this order: author, date, title, and source. If you can spot those parts, you can cite almost anything without guessing.

• Author: Person, group, or organization responsible for the work.
• Date: Year, plus month and day when shown on the work.
• Title: The work’s name, in sentence case for most items.
• Source: Where the work can be found (journal, publisher, URL, DOI).

APA Format Works Cited Example For Common Source Types

The table below gives a broad map of source types students cite most. Treat the middle column as a fill-in model. Then plug in your details, keeping punctuation and italics consistent.

Source Type	Reference List Model	Notes That Prevent Errors
Journal article	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xx	Italicize journal title and volume only. Use a DOI when shown.
Book	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher.	No city/state. Put edition in parentheses after the title.
Chapter in edited book	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.	Chapter title is not italicized. Use an en dash in page ranges.
Webpage	Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL	Group author is fine. Use “n.d.” when no date is given.
Government report	Agency Name. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Publisher. URL	If the author and publisher are the same, skip the publisher line.
YouTube video	Channel Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL	Bracket the format label. Use the channel name as the author.
Podcast episode	Host, H. H. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (No. xx) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Title. Publisher. URL	Add role labels like (Host) only when it adds clarity.
Thesis or dissertation	Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Master’s thesis, University Name]. Database Name. URL	Use brackets to name the type and the school.
Dataset	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dataset [Data set]. Publisher. URL	Keep the “Data set” label in brackets.
Social media post	Author, A. A. [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of post [Post]. Site Name. URL	Use the first words as the title, then add the bracket label.

If you want the official layout rules for spacing, indentation, and the “References” label, use APA Style reference list setup as your north star.

How In-Text Citations Match The List

Your reader should find the full entry on your References page, and the spelling must line up. This is where many “almost right” papers lose points.

Parenthetical And Narrative Styles

APA lets you cite inside parentheses or weave the author into your sentence.

• Parenthetical: The claim is backed by data (Lopez, 2023).
• Narrative: Lopez (2023) reports the same pattern in a larger sample.

Authors With Two Names, Many Names, Or A Group Name

With two authors, list both names each time in the text. With three or more, use the first author plus “et al.” in the text. For a group author, use the full group name in the text citation.

Whatever you do in the text, mirror it in the References list. Same spelling. Same year. Same order. If you change one piece, change the other piece too.

Quotes, Page Numbers, And Paragraph Markers

When you quote, add a locator in the in-text citation. In APA, that’s usually a page number. If your source has no page numbers, use a paragraph number, a section heading, or both.

• Print book or PDF with pages: (Lopez, 2023, p. 41) or (Lopez, 2023, pp. 41–42)
• Webpage with no pages: (Lopez, 2023, para. 6)
• Long quote (40+ words): put it in a block quote and keep the citation after the final punctuation.

If you paraphrase, you still cite the author and year. A page number is optional for paraphrase, but adding one can help your reader find the exact spot fast.

Step-By-Step: Build One Reference Entry

When you’re staring at a source and the citation feels messy, this short build routine keeps you steady. It also helps when your source type is odd and your brain wants to panic.

1. Write the author as last name + initials. Use an ampersand before the last author in the reference list.
2. Write the date. If no date is shown, use “n.d.”
3. Write the title in sentence case. Capitalize the first word and any proper nouns.
4. Add the source piece: journal details, publisher, DOI, or URL.
5. Apply hanging indent and double spacing after the entry is complete.

Set Hanging Indent In Word And Google Docs

A hanging indent is the one format rule that turns a messy list into an APA-looking list. The first line sits on the margin. Each line after that shifts in.

Hanging Indent In Word

1. Select your full References list.
2. Open the paragraph settings box.
3. Find “Indentation,” then pick “Hanging.”
4. Set it to 0.5 inches.

Hanging Indent In Google Docs

1. Select your References list.
2. Go to Format → Align & indent → Indentation options.
3. Under “Special indent,” pick “Hanging.”
4. Set it to 0.5 inches, then apply.

After the indent is set, scan the left edge. If any entry drifts out of line, it’s almost always a stray space or a manual tab.

Ready-To-Copy Reference Examples You Can Adapt

Below are full sample references. Swap in your details and keep punctuation steady. Use these as patterns, not as sources you claim to have read.

Book

Rahman, L. (2020). APA style in college writing (7th ed.). Cedar Press.

Journal Article With DOI

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), 00–00. https://doi.org/xx

Webpage

APA Style. (n.d.). Reference examples. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples

Common Traps That Make A References Page Look Off

Most citation errors fall into a few patterns. Fix them once, then your whole paper reads cleaner.

Missing Authors Or Missing Dates

No author listed? Start the reference with the title, then use that same first element in the in-text citation. No date listed? Use “n.d.”, then make the in-text year match.

Wrong Capitalization In Titles

APA uses sentence case for most titles in the reference list. Capitalize the first word, plus proper nouns. Journal titles keep their normal capitalization.

Italics In The Wrong Place

Italicize the larger container, like a book title or a journal title, not a chapter title or an article title. A quick test: is this the whole item, or a part inside a bigger item?

DOIs, URLs, And Retrieval Dates

Use a DOI when a DOI exists. Write it as a full https link. Use a URL when there’s no DOI and the item is online. A retrieval date is used only for pages that change over time, like a wiki entry.

Fast Self-Check Before You Submit

This table is a last-pass scan you can run in under five minutes. It catches nearly all grading-note issues.

If an entry starts with an organization, alphabetize by the first real word. Ignore A, An, and The at the start of titles when a title leads. Then double-check that initials, commas, and periods stay uniform.

Check	What To Do	Where It Shows Up
Each in-text citation has a match	Search each author name in your References list.	Body + References
Each reference is cited in the text	Scan References and find each item in the body.	Body + References
Alphabetical order is correct	Sort by first author’s last name, then title.	References
Hanging indent is used	Second line starts 0.5 in. in from the margin.	References
Sentence case is consistent	Only first word and proper nouns are capped.	References
DOIs and URLs are in place	Put DOI/URL at the end, no extra period after it.	References
Spacing is uniform	Double space all lines, no extra blank lines.	References

A Mini References List You Can Paste And Edit

Below is a short References list with mixed source types. Paste it, then replace each entry with your sources. This gives you a clean starting shape, even when your paper pulls from books, articles, and web pages.

Rahman, L. (2020). APA style in college writing (7th ed.). Cedar Press.

APA Style. (n.d.). Reference list setup. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/reference-list

APA Style. (n.d.). Webpage on a website references. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/webpage-website-references

Now run the self-check table once. If the text citations and the References entries match, your citations will look calm and consistent.

Need more models for unusual sources? APA keeps an updated set of patterns by source type. Use APA reference examples and match your source to the closest category.

If you searched for an apa format works cited example, this is the same finish line: a References page that follows APA rules, plus author–date citations that match it.