How to Create a Perfect APA Reference List

You’ve finished your psychology paper. The research is done, the argument is clear, but one hurdle remains: the reference list. It’s often a frustrating part of writing in APA format, where small errors can cost you points.

This guide is your foundational resource for building a perfect APA 7th edition reference list. It is a companion to our guides on the overall APA format and APA in-text citations.

We will cover the core formatting rules and how to cite the most common types of sources.

What is an APA Reference List?

An APA reference list is an alphabetical list of all the sources you cited in your paper. It appears on its own page at the end of your document. Its purpose is to give your reader all the information needed to find the exact sources you used.

Reference List vs. In-Text Citation

A common confusion is the in-text citation vs. the reference list entry. They work together as a two-part system.

• In-Text Citation: A brief citation in your text (e.g., (Smith, 2020)).
• Reference List Entry: The full, detailed citation.

Rule: Every source in your reference list must have at least one in-text citation in your paper. Every in-text citation must have a matching entry in your reference list.

Reference List vs. Bibliography

APA uses a “reference list,” not a “bibliography.”

• Reference List: Only lists sources you *cited* in your paper.
• Bibliography: Lists all sources you *consulted*, even if you didn’t cite them.

5 Core Formatting Rules (7th Edition)

APA reference lists follow five main rules.

Start on a new page after your main body. The title “References” should be at the top, centered and bolded.

List all entries in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name. If the author is an organization (e.g., American Psychological Association), alphabetize by the first significant word (e.g., “American”). If no author, alphabetize by the title.

Use a hanging indent. The first line of each entry is flush with the left margin, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.

The entire page must be double-spaced. This includes the “References” title, all entries, and the space *between* entries. Do not add extra blank lines.

This is a key change in APA 7.

• DOI (Digital Object Identifier): This is a unique string. Always use the DOI if one is available. Format it as a full, active hyperlink (e.g., `https://doi.org/10.1177/…`).
• URL: Use a URL for sources without a DOI (like webpages).
• Do NOT add: The words “Retrieved from” or “Accessed on” before a DOI or URL.
• Do NOT add: A period after the DOI or URL.

The 4 Building Blocks of an APA Reference

Most APA reference entries are built from four core elements, in this order:

Author. (Date). Title. Source.

Understanding these helps you construct any citation.

1. Author: Who is responsible for this work? (e.g., Smith, J. K.)
2. Date: When was this work published? (e.g., (2020)).
3. Title: What is this work called? (e.g., *Title of the book*.)
4. Source: Where can I find this work? (e.g., Publisher name, or *Journal Title, volume*, page, DOI)

Your job is to find these four pieces and format them correctly.

Common APA Reference Examples (7th Ed.)

Here are formats for common sources.

Journal Article (with DOI)

This is the most common academic source. The journal title is italicized, but the article title is not. Use sentence case for the article title.

Format:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article in sentence case. *Title of the Journal in Italics*, *Volume(Issue)*, pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/…

Example (from a 2014 article):
Martinelli, V. C., Kyle, W. B., Kojic, S., Vitulo, N., Li, Z., Belgrano, A., et al. (2014). ZASP interacts with the mechanosensing protein Ankrd2 and p53 in the signalling network of striated muscle. *PLOS ONE*, *9*(3), e92259. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092259

Book

In APA 7, the publisher location (city, state) is no longer included.

Format:
Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of the book in italics*. Publisher.

Example:
Kahneman, D. (2011). *Thinking, fast and slow*. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Use this when chapters are by different authors.

Format:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), *Title of the book in italics* (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.

Example:
Brown, B. (2018). The power of vulnerability. In J. Smith (Ed.), *A collection of modern essays* (pp. 45-62). Penguin Press.

Webpage on a Website (with Author)

Use the publication or update date. If the author and the site name are the same, omit the site name.

Format:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). *Title of the webpage in italics*. Site Name. https://www.url.com…

Example:
Smart Academic Writing. (2025, November 13). *How to write a psychology paper*. https://smartacademicwriting.com/how-to-write-psychology-paper/

How to Handle Missing Information

Follow these rules from the official APA Style guide.

No Author

Move the title to the author position (before the date). Alphabetize the entry by the first significant word of the title.

Example:
*Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary* (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster.

No Date

Use (n.d.) for “no date” in parentheses.

Example:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). *Bias-free language*. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language

No Title

Describe the work in square brackets [ ].

Example:
Johnson, T. (2020). [Photograph of a red-tailed hawk]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/…