In APA format, a reference web page is the web page on the finish of a written work that lists all of the sources used for citations together with their bibliographic data. “Reference web page” is the title utilized by APA format, whereas MLA calls it a “works cited web page,” and Chicago makes use of “bibliography.”
As a result of every format has explicit guidelines about the right way to cite and checklist sources, the APA format reference web page could be very completely different from the works cited web page or different bibliographies. In the event you’re writing a paper in APA format, use the principles and pointers under to ensure your reference web page is appropriate.
What’s a reference web page?
Though it has distinctive guidelines for formatting sources, the reference web page in APA format is basically a bibliography. It comprises all of the sources whose concepts influenced the work, together with particulars just like the sources’ authors’ names, publication knowledge, and URLs.
In tutorial writing, each time you employ an thought or proof from one other supply, you have to credit score that supply utilizing an in-text quotation. An in-text quotation in APA often consists of the creator’s surname, the 12 months of publication, and sometimes a web page quantity.
On the finish of the work, all of the sources used for in-text citations are listed on the reference web page, together with the additional particulars that didn’t match within the in-text citations, akin to the total title and the title of the writer.
This method of citations and references is critical for verifying a piece’s accuracy and show that you simply didn’t simply make the whole lot up! Following the reference web page guidelines is essential for sustaining the integrity of your paper, particularly if you happen to’re having bother passing a plagiarism checker.
What to incorporate in an APA format reference web page
APA format maintains that every reference web page entry—one entry per supply—ought to ideally embrace 4 components:
- creator(s)
- date of publication
- title
- supply sort (not all the time relevant)
How this data is organized is dependent upon the kind of supply used, akin to a ebook, web site, or video. For instance, the identical article might be cited on the reference web page two other ways relying on whether or not it was discovered on-line or in print.
Try our quotation guides under for particular directions on the right way to cite every sort of supply within the APA format reference web page.
In any other case, try our quotation generator to quote sources robotically.
What sources are not included within the reference web page?
The one sources that aren’t talked about within the reference web page are private communications. These casual sources require solely in-text citations that point out the title of the communicator and the phrase “private communication,” in addition to the precise date of the dialog—however you don’t want so as to add them to the reference web page.
Private communications embrace:
- in-person conversations
- phone conversations
- emails
- textual content messages
- on-line chats or direct messages
- private interviews
- classroom lectures with unique content material (like private anecdotes)
- memos and letters
Nonetheless, private communications do not embrace interviews performed as a part of your personal analysis. These require a selected entry within the reference web page.
Tips on how to make a reference web page: Format and guidelines
Other than the principles for the right way to write every entry, you additionally should accurately format the reference web page itself. Listed below are the basic formatting guidelines for the right way to make a reference web page in APA format:
- The reference web page comes after the physique textual content however earlier than any ultimate tables or appendices.
- Begin the reference checklist on a brand new web page.
- Place the title “References” in daring and center-aligned on the high of the web page.
- Reference pages are double-spaced, each throughout the entries and between them.
- Every entry makes use of a dangling indent: The primary line is not indented, however each line after the primary is. The usual indentation is half an inch. See our APA reference web page instance under.
- Creator names are inverted, and the given first title or names are listed as initials with a interval. So if you happen to have been crediting Louisa Might Alcott, you’d write her title as Alcott, L. M.
- If a supply has a couple of creator, checklist the names within the order they’re given by the supply. Use commas in between names and place an ampersand (&) earlier than the ultimate creator.
- Titles within the reference checklist are written in sentence case, not title case. Which means solely the primary letter is capitalized (e.g., A lot ado about nothing).
- Entries are listed alphabetically by the authors’ surnames. If the identical creator is the one credit score for a couple of supply, order their sources chronologically by publication. If there isn’t any listed creator, alphabetize by no matter phrase comes first, often the primary phrase of the title.
- Reference pages embrace the APA format’s operating head. For pupil papers, that is merely the web page quantity flush proper on the high of the web page.
APA reference web page instance
17
Reference
Brown, D. (2022). Quitting Twitter? What folks say about life after social media. The Wall Avenue Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/quitting-twitter-what-people-say-about-life-after-social-media-11651415387
Kohout, S., Kruikemeier, S., & Bakker, B. N. (2023). Might I’ve your consideration, please? A watch monitoring examine on emotional social media feedback. Computer systems in Human Conduct, 139(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.chb.2022.107495
McMahon, C. (2019). The Psychology of Social Media. Routledge.
What’s the distinction between a reference web page, bibliography, and works cited web page?
Reference web page, works cited web page, and bibliography are all phrases utilized by completely different codecs to confer with the web page of bibliographical data on the finish of a piece. Though the pages all show the identical form of data, the completely different codecs all use their very own names:
- APA format calls it the “reference web page”
- MLA format calls it the “works cited web page”
- Chicago calls it the “bibliography web page”
In all instances, the web page shows the detailed data for all of the sources used within the paper or work, together with specifics just like the writer and publication dates.
Nonetheless, the format to show the knowledge, such because the order the knowledge is available in and the punctuation used to separate it, varies amongst kinds. It’s a good suggestion to familiarize your self with the person pointers for no matter type you’re utilizing.
APA reference web page FAQs
What’s a reference web page?
A reference web page is the part of an editorial that shows the bibliographical data for all of the sources used, such because the title of the supply, the writer, and the publication date. “Reference web page” is the title utilized by the APA format, though different kinds have their very own names.
What to incorporate in an APA format reference web page?
The APA format reference web page features a separate entry for every supply used as a reference within the writing. Every entry ought to embrace the supply’s creator or authors, date of publication, and title, in addition to the place to search out it if relevant (for instance, a URL).
How is an APA reference web page formatted?
An APA reference web page consists of the title “References,” daring and centered on the high, and all references written double-spaced. It makes use of a dangling indent, which suggests the primary line of every entry is not indented, however all traces after the primary are. Like all pages in APA format, embrace the web page quantity on the high within the operating head.
What’s the distinction between a reference web page, bibliography, and works cited web page?
A reference web page, bibliography, and works cited web page all confer with the part of a piece that comprises the bibliographical data of the sources used. Every type has their very own title for it: APA calls it a “reference web page,” MLA calls it a “works cited web page,” and Chicago calls it a “bibliography.”