APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: References Page

Helpful APA 7 References Worksheets from APA: 

• APA style & MLA style reference comparison guide
• APA style references formatting activity
• Creating an APA style reference list guide
• Journal article reference checklist

Creating a References Page: 

Below is a sample references page for a student paper about nursing students and anxiety. Here are notes on how the page was created using APA 7th edition guidelines and information on how each citation was created: 

• Page Number: For student papers the header only contains the PAGE number, flush right
• Section Header: The "References" section header is centered and bolded
• Font: The font chosen for this paper is Georgia 11pt. (now accepted in APA 7th edition)
• Double spaced: The entire References page is double spaced. There should be NO extra blank line or spacing separating each reference. 
• Hanging Indent: Each reference has a hanging indent for any lines below the first line of information. The indent is what  The indent is a .05 tab. Each writing program has a slightly different shortcut for creating a hanging indent: 
  • Smart Student. (2020, November 25). How to format a hanging indent in 3 seconds: Google Docs and Microsoft Word tutorial [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90iLLUx8wQY 
• Notes on each citation: 
  • Anderson, 2018 - This citation is for an unpublished dissertation. Notice that after the name of the dissertation "Unpublished doctoral dissertation" shares exactly what the reference is for, instead of listing a journal or book title. Also note that the citation contains a link to the dissertation in the University of Kansas archives. 
  • Cornine, 2020 - This citation is for an advance online article. Notice that after the name of the journal, "Advance online publication" is noted instead of the volume, issue, and page number. 
  • Gutkind, 2013 - This citation is for a book. You do not need to distinguish between an ebook, a print book, or an electronic book found in an academic database. The citation does not contain a link, since there is not a DOI available for the book. 
  • Medical_md_7171, 2020 - This citation is for an infographic that was shared on Instagram. Note that this is not a peer-reviewed source. Also note that after the title, it states "Infographic" to distinguish what exactly was cited. After that it states the platform: Instagram, and is followed by the direct link. 
  • National Institute of Mental Health, 2012 - This is a citation for a government document. Notice it includes the official government publication number after the title, and includes all of the government agencies noted in the report. The information to cite this material can be found on the last page of the publication. The publication PDF can be found from the link at the end of the citation.
  • Nugent, et al., 2018 - This is a standard book citation. Note there is not a link at the end of the citation: If you do not have a DOI you do not need to include any other link. 
  • Parkes, 2019 - This is a citation for a YouTube video. Note the citation begins with the real name of the creator followed by their YouTube account ID or account name. If the real name is not available, use the YouTube account ID. Also note after the title, the type of work is added as [Video] and is then followed by the platform, which is YouTube. 
  • Stewart, et al., 2018 - This is a standard journal article citation, complete with the DOI listed as a complete website. 
  • Trends in nursing education, 2017 - This is a citation for content that is listed through ECU databases as a newspaper, however it could also be classified as a blog post, or newsletter. Note there is not an author listed, so the title is listed when no author is available. Also note, there is not a "retrieved from" date, as this content is not expected to change over time. 

10

References

Anderson, D. (2018). The effect of animal-assisted therapy on nursing student anxiety

           [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Kansas. http://hdl.handle.net/1808/27542

Cornine, A. (2020). Reducing nursing student anxiety in the clinical setting: An integrative

           review. Nursing Education Perspectives. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nep.0000000000000633

Gutkind, L. (Ed.). (2013). I wasn’t strong like this when I started out: True stories of becoming a

           nurse. In Fact Books.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2012). Depression and college students: Answers to college

           students’ frequently asked questions about depression. (NIH Publication No. 12-4266). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National       

            Institutes of Health. https://infocenter.nimh.nih.gov/pubstatic/NIH%2012-4266/NIH%2012-4266.pdf

Nugent, P., & Vitale, B. (2018). Test success: Test taking techniques for beginning nursing

             students (8th ed.). F. A. Davis Company.

Medical_md_7171. (2020, April 17). Table of normal values [Infographic]. Instagram.

              https://www.instagram.com/p/B_DduJ6DwfH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Parkes, C. [Level Up RN]. (2019, January 31). Tips from Cathy for nursing students and nurses.

             [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-LgRSy38Lo&t=1s

Stewart, P., Greene, D., & Coke, S. (2018). Effects of a peer evaluation technique on nursing

            students’ anxiety levels. Nurse Educator, 43(4), 219-222. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000474

Trends in nursing education. (2017, August 30). Community College Daily. http://www.ccdaily.com/2017/08/trends-nursing-education/

• All entries should be double-spaced and have a hanging indent. 
• Entries should be alphabetized by last name of the first author, followed by the initials of the author's first name.
• Works with corporate, agency, association, or institution authors should be alphabetized by the first significant word in the name. Make sure to write out the full official name and to not use abbreviations.
• Make sure all reference data is accurate and complete.
• Reference lists only include recoverable resources. Do not include personal communications in your reference list, but do include in-text citations for these these resources.
• URLs and DOIs can be live hyperlinks as long as you are turning your assignment in electronically. If you hand in your paper physically, the hyperlinks need to be removed/disabled. 

One of the most important things to remember for APA style formatting is consistency! The APA has not released guidelines on every single type of resource because the possibilities are endless. Just remember to follow the general formats when imputing information about a resource, include as much information as necessary, and be consistent! If you have questions about how to cite a particular resource, feel free to contact the library. Our contact information can be found on the left side of this page.

References page iinformation has been adapted from the APA Manual (7th Edition). Please refer to pages 39-40, 66-67, and Chapter 10 for more information.

One of the most important things to remember for APA style formatting is consistency! The APA has not released guidelines on every single type of resource because the possibilities are endless. Just remember to follow the general formats when imputing information about a resource, include as much information as necessary, and be consistent! If you have questions about how to cite a particular resource, feel free to contact the library. Our contact information can be found on the left side of this page.

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