The Reference Page

See pages 339-280 of the APA manual for more details and examples of how to reference different sources.

 

Page Set-up

        Your reference page should be a new page at the end of your paper. The word "References should be centered at the top of the page. Your reference section should be double spaced, just as the rest of your paper. References should be placed in alphabetical order. For each reference, the first line should begin against the left margin of the paper. If the reference extends beyond the first line, each additional line should be intended the same as you would intent a paragraph in your paper (usually .5).

 

What to Include (& NOT include)

        Only papers which have been cited in your paper should be included. In other words, if you read an article in preparation for your paper, but did not refer to it in the actual paper, then it should not be in your reference section. In general, you should only cite sources which you have read. While at times, particularly with books, you may have only read part of the book, as a general rule you should not cite sources you have not read. If you have only read the abstract or book review, then you should site either the abstract or book review. Guidelines on how to site these sources are available in your APA manual.

 

More Than One Reference by the Same Author in the Same Year

        Occasionally, you may be referring to two different articles by the same author published in the same year. For example, you may have two articles by Hoffman in 2004. In order to be clear about which article you are referring to, you add letter behind the date. For example, the first article you refer to would be cited as (Hoffman, 2004a). Then in your reference section, this article would be listed first. Here you would site as follows:

 

Hoffman, L. (2004a). The reference section. Journal of Students Needing Assistance, 1, 5-12.

Hoffman, L. (2004b). Citing your sources. Journal of Students Needing Assistance, 1, 13-20.

 

Getting Familiar with the Manual

        There is no quick way to become skilled at the reference section. Essentially, you just need to become familiar with the manual. While there are some style helps which provide examples of how to reference particular common sources (journals, books, book chapters, etc.), most people will come across some references which are not included in these quick helps. My recommendation is to allow for the extra time to do the reference section correctly and become familiar with APA style for references.

 

References

 

American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: author.