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APA Citation Style, 6th Edition : Reference List Guidelines

A University of Lethbridge Library guide to APA Citation Style, 6th Edition.

Numbers in parentheses refer to specific pages in the APA 6th Edition manual.

  • The Reference list should be double-spaced. Each entry should be formatted with a hanging indent (p. 180).

  • References cited in text must appear in the References list and vice versa. The only exceptions to this rule are personal communications and classical works (such as the Bible or the Qur'an); they are cited in text only and are not included in the References list (p. 174).

  • Use only the initial(s) of the author’s given name(s), not the full name(s) (p. 184).

  • If the Reference list includes 2 or more entries by the same author(s), list them in chronological order with the earliest first (p. 182).

  • Arrange Reference entries in one alphabetical sequence by the surname of the first author or by title or first word if there is no author (pp. 181-183). Ignore the words A, An, and The when alphabetizing by title.

  • In titles and subtitles of articles, chapters, and books, capitalize only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns, unless it is purposely done so for stylistic reasons in the title (i.e. BANG!) (p. 185).

  • Italicize book titles, journal titles, and volume numbers. Do NOT italicize issue numbers (pp. 185-186).

    For journals with continuous pagination, the issue number should be omitted; just indicate the volume.

  • If a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is listed on either a print or an electronic source it is included in the reference (pp.188-192). A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that is used to identify a certain source (typically journal articles). It is often found on the first page of an article. Example: doi:10.1080/14622200410001676305

  • When the Reference entry includes a URL that must be divided between two lines, break it before a slash or hyphen or at another logical division point (p.192). 

  • For a helpful list of some of the abbreviations used in References (such as Vols. for Volumes) check out page 180 of the APA Manual.