When it comes to APA formatting, nothing trips students up faster than the References page. It’s like the academic version of parallel parking – deceptively simple, oddly specific, and way harder than it looks if you’re not sure what you’re doing.
Luckily, this guide will walk you through exactly how to format & set up your References page for the APA 7th Edition. Whether you’re double-checking your work or starting from scratch, we’ll help you line everything up perfectly.
The Basics: What Goes on a References Page?
Your References page is the last section of your APA-style paper. It lists all the sources you cited in your paper – nothing more, nothing less. That means:
- Don't include extra sources you read but didn’t cite
- Include all sources that appear anywhere in your paper's content (including your appendices)
If it’s cited in the paper, it must appear in your References. If it’s not cited, it doesn’t belong there. Clean and simple.
How to Format Your References Page (By Hand)
If you're formatting manually, here's what you need to do:
1. Start on a New Page
- The new page appears right after the body of the paper
- Title it References (bolded and centered at the top – just like the Heading 1 style)
- Don’t use italics, quotation marks, or underline for the page title
2. Use Double Spacing Throughout
- No extra space between entries
- Everything stays evenly spaced, top to bottom
3. Apply a Hanging Indent
- The first line of each reference stays flush left
- All additional lines of the same entry are indented 0.5 inches
- In Word: Select your references → Right-click → Paragraph → Indentation → Hanging
4. Alphabetize by Author’s Last Name
- Use the first listed author if there are multiple
- Ignore “A,” “An,” or “The” at the beginning of titles if there’s no author
5. Be Picky About Punctuation
- Periods after each major section of the reference: authors, the title, publication date, and publishing information
- Italics for book titles and journal names
- Sentence case for most titles (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns)
Want to Skip All That? PERRLA Can Do It for You
Not to brag (okay, maybe a little), but formatting References is kind of our thing. With PERRLA, you just enter your source's info, and we handle ALL the indenting, spacing, italics, punctuation, and alphabetizing for you. It’s like having a formatting fairy godparent. 🦄✨
You can try PERRLA completely free for 7 days here. No limits & no credit card required!
Final Tips for APA References
- Double-check your spelling and capitalization
- Use the DOI when available (especially for journal articles)
- Avoid hyperlinks that break across lines (most editors do this automatically)
- Keep it consistent – every detail matters!
TL;DR – Quick Reference Checklist
✅ New page titled References, bold and centered
✅ Double-spaced, no extra space between entries
✅ Hanging indent for every entry
✅ Alphabetized by first author’s last name
✅ Perfect punctuation and formatting
Coming Soon…
In an upcoming blog, we’ll talk about how to paraphrase like a pro and avoid plagiarism without panic. Stay tuned – and if you’re using PERRLA already, your References page might already be done. 🎉