This worksheet will help you create complete APA Style reference list entries. For each reference element (author, date, title, and source), basic information and representative examples are shown. Use this information to identify the reference elements for your own work and enter them in the text box below each table.
A notable change in the 7th ed: student papers no longer require a running head.
Paper formatting is covered in Chapter 2 of the APA Seventh Ed. Publication Manual. For online reference, see the following links:
APA Style: Quick Answers - Formatting.
APA Style: Style and Grammar Guidelines.
If your paper will follow strict APA formatting, follow the steps below. Your paper should have three major sections: the title page, main body, and references list. The Publication Manual covers these guidelines in Chapter 2; the APA website also has a Quick Answers--Formatting page.
These guidelines will cover how to set up a student paper in APA format. The 7th edition now has specific formatting for student papers versus a professional paper (i.e. one being submitted for publication). If your instructor has requested a different format or additional elements, use your instructor's preferences.
The margins of the paper should be set to 1" (one inch) all around.
The line spacing for the paper should be set to double (2.0).
Your title should summarize the main topic of your paper. Try not to be too wordy or off-topic. While there is no word limit for titles, "short but sweet" is the goal. The APA Style Blog has further information on titles: Five Steps to a Great Title. Use title case for paper titles.
Insert the page number in the right area of the header. Use the built-in page numbering system; do not attempt to type each page number manually.
On the first page you will include the following information:
This information will be centered, and will be a few lines down from the top.
The references list should be on a new page, and should be the last section of your paper.
The heading at the top of the reference list should say References at the top (not Bibliography or Works Cited, unless your instructor tells you otherwise) and bolded.
All reference lists should have a hanging indent. An example of a hanging indent is shown below:
George, M. W. (2008). The elements of library research: What every student needs to know. Princeton University Press.
To create a hanging indent in Word, you can press the Control key along with the letter T.
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Line spacing in the reference list should be set to double (2.0).
When organizing your references list, you must alphabetize your references. Generally, you will organize by the author's last name. Go letter by letter and ignore spaces, hyphens, punctuation etc.
If a work has no author, use the title to alphabetize. You will use the first significant word to alphabetize; this means you skip words like the, a, and an.
Source: Publication Manual, 2.12; 9.44-9.49
