How to make an APA reference list
Which sources to include, how to order them and how to format the list, including the hanging indent in Word.
In this guide
Reference list or bibliography?
APA uses a reference list: it includes only the works you cited in your paper. A bibliography may also list background reading you did not cite. That’s why the APA label is “References,” not “Bibliography” or “Works Cited.”
If your instructor explicitly asks for a bibliography of further reading, follow that instruction.
Formatting the list
- Start the list on a new page after the text.
- Put the label “References” at the top, centered and bold.
- Double-space everything, with no extra space between entries.
- Give each entry a 0.5 in hanging indent: the first line flush left, the following lines indented.
- Align the text left; don’t justify it.
Navarro, E., Quinn, D., & Moore, S. (2022). Sleep habits and academic performance in first-year students. Journal of Student Learning Studies, 14(2), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.0000/example.2022.014
Putting entries in order
Alphabetize entries by the first word of each reference, which is usually the first author’s surname:
- When a work has no author, the title moves to the author position and you alphabetize by it, ignoring “A,” “An” and “The.”
- Several works by the same author go in date order, oldest first.
- Two works by the same author in the same year get letters after the year (2021a, 2021b), which you also use in the citations.
Academic Writing Center. (2023, March 15)…
Navarro, E., Quinn, D., & Moore, S. (2022)…
Parker, A. (n.d.)…
Rivera, L., & Okafor, M. (2021)…
What goes in each reference
Every reference answers four questions: who (author), when (date), what (title) and where (source: the publisher, journal or website, plus the DOI or URL). When something is missing, APA tells you what to use instead: the title takes the author’s place, and “n.d.” takes the date’s.
- List up to 20 authors per reference.
- Include a DOI whenever the work has one, written as a link (https://doi.org/…).
- Don’t add “Retrieved from” or a period after the DOI or URL.
- Personal communications (a conversation, an email) are cited in the text only and left out of the list, because readers can’t retrieve them.
Examples for books, articles and webpages are in how to cite sources in APA Style.
Setting a hanging indent in Word
Don’t indent with spaces or tabs: the moment the font size changes, everything shifts. Use paragraph formatting instead:
- Select every reference. From the first entry to the last, without the “References” label.
- Open the Paragraph dialog. On the Home tab, select the small launcher in the corner of the Paragraph group.
- Choose a hanging indent. Under Indentation › Special, choose Hanging and set By to 0.5".
- Check the spacing. In the same dialog, set Line spacing to Double and Before and After to 0 pt.
If you use Zotero, Mendeley or another manager
When a reference manager generates the list, change its format in the manager (by choosing the APA 7 style), not by hand: the manager rewrites the list whenever it refreshes and undoes manual changes.
Do it faster
Sources
- Reference list setupAmerican Psychological Association
- Creating an APA Style Reference List Guide (PDF)American Psychological Association
- Basic principles of reference list entriesAmerican Psychological Association
- Citing works with the same author and dateAmerican Psychological Association
- How to alphabetize “a,” “an,” and “the” in APA Style referencesAmerican Psychological Association
- How many names to include in an APA Style referenceAmerican Psychological Association
- Personal communicationsAmerican Psychological Association
- Elements of reference list entriesAmerican Psychological Association
- DOIs and URLsAmerican Psychological Association
- Adjust indents and spacingMicrosoft Support
We consulted these pages on October 31, 2026.
Editorial note
This guide was prepared by APAFly with the help of artificial intelligence and checked against the sources listed above. It is for educational purposes and does not replace the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual or your institution’s own requirements.
The examples are illustrative: the authors, works and websites are fictitious.
APAFly is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the American Psychological Association.
Spotted a mistake? Write to contacto@apafly.app