The title page, the body, and the references page are the three required parts of any paper in the APA format. With the first two covered, let's finish by setting up the references page.
What the references page is for
As you write, any time you use facts, ideas, or language from a source, you cite it in the body of your paper. Then, at the end of the paper, you list every source you used, in full. Think of it as a directory that helps your reader find the original material behind your work.
Setting up the page
Setting up the references page is straightforward.
First, it always starts on a new page after the body of your paper. Insert a page break to get there, instead of pressing Enter or Return over and over. A real page break keeps the formatting clean when the paper above it changes.
At the top of the page is the same header as the rest of the paper: just the page number, top right.
On the first line, type the word References, bold and centered, in the same font and size as the rest of your paper.
On the next line, begin listing your references in alphabetical order. That's an APA requirement.
Later lessons show how to format each kind of reference. For now, we're just setting up the page.
The detail you don't want to miss: the hanging indent
Your references are double-spaced, like the rest of the paper. But instead of indenting the first line of each reference, you do the opposite. This is called a hanging indent: the first line sits flush left, and every other line of the same reference is indented half an inch.
It's tempting to fake this with the Tab key. Don't: it falls apart as soon as an entry changes. Every word processor has a hanging indent setting, and it's worth using it from the start.
A finished references page
Here is the references page from the sample Bigfoot paper.
References
Buhs, J. B. (2009). Bigfoot: The life and times of a legend. University of Chicago Press.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Bigfoot. FBI Vault. https://vault.fbi.gov/bigfoot
Lozier, J. D., Aniello, P., & Hickerson, M. J. (2009). Predicting the distribution of Sasquatch in western North America: Anything goes with ecological niche modelling. Journal of Biogeography, 36(9), 1623–1627. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02152.x
Meldrum, J. (2007). Sasquatch: Legend meets science. Forge.
Sykes, B. C., Mullis, R. A., Hagenmuller, C., Melton, T. W., & Sartori, M. (2014). Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1789), Article 20140161. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.0161
- A new pageThe references start on a page of their own, with the same header: the page number, top right.
- The labelReferences, bold and centered, on the first line.
- Alphabetical orderBy the first word of each entry, usually the first author's last name.
- The hanging indentThe first line at the margin, every line after it indented half an inch.
- DOIs and URLsWritten as links, with no period at the end.
Take a moment to celebrate. You've now set up every required part of an APA paper: the title page, the body, and the references page.
Quick checklist
- A page break before the references page
- References label, bold and centered
- Double spacing throughout
- Alphabetical order
- A half-inch hanging indent on every entry
- DOIs and URLs written as links, with no period at the end
How PERRLA handles the references page
If you're using PERRLA, all of this is done for you, from the page break to the hanging indents to the alphabetical order. You enter a source's details, or look it up, and PERRLA handles the formatting.
Buhs, J. B. (2009). Bigfoot: The life and times of a legend.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.).
Lozier, J. D., Aniello, P., & Hickerson, M. J. …
Cite a new source and its entry lands in alphabetical order, double-spaced with a hanging indent. DOIs and URLs are set as links with no period after them.