This section focuses on the references in your paper. References are directly tied to your in-text citations. The combination of in-text citations and the reference list point the reader to where you got the information you used in your paper. Although it is recommended to assemble the reference page towards the end of the writing process, it can also be created early and continuously revised and refined throughout before the final edit. This section covers the creation and formatting of the reference page.
References:
Although your references appear at the end of your paper, it is probably the most important part of your paper. It evidences your research and provides the details about the sources you used and cited in your paper. It also provides your reader a direct link to the sources you used in your research which may help them learn more about your topic. Like most all other parts of APA Style, your references are to be listed in an assigned location in a standardized format.
There are four basic principles to a reference list. Each entry would include these four parts:
Let's examine each of these elements in more detail.
Author names appear with the last name first followed by a comma and then the initials of the author's first name (and middle name, if available). You do not spell out first or middle names in the case of two authors, separate author names with an ampersand (&). With the release of the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual, when there are three or more authors, list the first author of the work followed by 'et. al.'
DATE:
You will most often see this listed as the year of the publication, but you may also see a specific date. The year/date appears in parenthesis directly after the author(s)' names(s), followed by a period after the close parenthesis.
This is where you would list the name of the work you are citing. This could be the name of a book, article, or YouTube video. The name of the title should be italicized except in certain cases, including a journal article, in which case the journal title is italicized.
This points to exactly where your reader can find this work, and you would list the name of the publication. In the case of journal entries, you would want to list the specifics as to which volume you had used. When using Youtube videos or digital links, you would want to provide a web address.
The APA Style website lists several reference examples for you to review. It is advised that you familiarize yourself with the different formats presented there due to the many different sources available for your research. There are so many sources you can use. If you have purchased an APA manual, tag the pages so you can refer back to them quickly.
We will review this more closely in Module 9 but it is important to view References in context with Citations.