Adding References to a Paper

In order to cite the work of others, we have to add a reference to that work on the References Page at the end of our paper.

That page should already be formatted and ready to go. But if you need a refresher on how it should look, you can jump back to the earlier lesson on the References Page.

Now, this is where the APA format starts to get a little complex.

The APA Manual gives formatting rules for over 200 different types of references. And within each of those types, there are even more variations depending on things like:

• The number of authors
  
  
• The edition or version
  
  
• Whether it’s in print or online
  
  
• And even the kind of page numbering used
  

It’s a lot. And memorizing all those rules? Not worth your time.

Instead of trying to cover every possibility, we’re going to walk through the three most common reference types you’ll probably use in your papers:

• A book with one author
  
  
• A journal article with multiple authors
  
  
• A web page
  

Once you’re familiar with how these are structured, you’ll be much more confident building your References Page. And for anything more complex, even APA experts use the manual or let formatting tools (like PERRLA) do the heavy lifting.

One last thing before we dive in:
As you add references, make sure to keep them in alphabetical order based on the first word in each reference. Usually, that’s the first author’s last name.

If you have two references that start with the same last name, then look at the next word to decide the order.

For example, say you have three references by:

• Michael Jacobs
  
  
• John Jacobs
  
  
• Inigo Montoya
  

The two Jacobs entries come first, and Montoya comes last. Because the first two references start with “Jacobs” we have to look at their first name – the second word in the reference. John comes before Michael, so the correct order would be:

1. John Jacobs
   
   
2. Michael Jacobs
   
   
3. Inigo Montoya
   

When a work has no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (ignore ‘A,’ ‘An,’ and ‘The’).

Quick checklist

▢ Author, date, title, and source details gathered
▢ Correct reference type chosen
▢ Entry formatted to type rules
▢ Added with double spacing and 0.5″ hanging indent
▢ Alphabetical order confirmed
▢ DOIs/URLs active, with no period at the end

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Let PERRLA Handle your Formatting

PERRLA takes care of the entire workflow above. We help you find the reference information, create & format the reference, and build your reference section from scratch. We handle all of the nuanced, complicated formatting rules for every single type of APA reference.