Note that when you do this with an online source, you should still include an access date, as in the example.
When a source lacks a clearly identified author, there’s often an appropriate corporate source – the organisation responsible for the source – whom you can credit as author instead, as in the Google and Wikipedia examples above.
When that’s not the case, you can just replace it with the title of the source in both the in-text citation and the reference list:
In-text citation | (‘Divest’, no date) |
Reference list entry | ‘Divest’ (no date) Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divest (Accessed: 27 January 2020). |
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Harvard referencing uses an author–date system. Sources are cited by the author’s last name and the publication year in brackets. Each Harvard in-text citation corresponds to an entry in the alphabetised reference list at the end of the paper.
Vancouver referencing uses a numerical system. Sources are cited by a number in parentheses or superscript. Each number corresponds to a full reference at the end of the paper.
Harvard style | Vancouver style | |
---|---|---|
In-text citation | Each referencing style has different rules (Pears and Shields, 2019). | Each referencing style has different rules (1). |
Reference list | Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2019). . 11th edn. London: MacMillan. | 1. Pears R, Shields G. Cite them right: The essential referencing guide. 11th ed. London: MacMillan; 2019. |
A Harvard in-text citation should appear in brackets every time you quote, paraphrase, or refer to information from a source.
The citation can appear immediately after the quotation or paraphrase, or at the end of the sentence. If you’re quoting, place the citation outside of the quotation marks but before any other punctuation like a comma or full stop.
In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by ‘ et al. ’
In-text citation | Reference list | |
---|---|---|
1 author | (Smith, 2014) | Smith, T. (2014) … |
2 authors | (Smith and Jones, 2014) | Smith, T. and Jones, F. (2014) … |
3 authors | (Smith, Jones and Davies, 2014) | Smith, T., Jones, F. and Davies, S. (2014) … |
4+ authors | (Smith , 2014) | Smith, T. (2014) … |
Though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a difference in meaning:
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2023, September 15). A Quick Guide to Harvard Referencing | Citation Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/harvard-style/
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Table of contents
Citation is necessary while writing your school essay, a publication, or a Master’s thesis. We all want our efforts to be acknowledged, right? The lack of references and citations can make the source think you are trying to steal their work. Hence, the question is how to go about making references.
Do you want to learn how to cite in a research paper? Then this article is for you, as it contains the details of how to reference when writing a research paper. There is a standard way to do this in educational journals and organizational publications.
Hence, a researcher must understand how to reference their writings or journals. It is another thing to write a journal properly, but crediting the sources is more crucial.
Follow this guide to learn:
Another important question is: What is the need for referencing and citation? The major reason for citations in research paper format is to serve as directional cues for the employed knowledge. When you cite, readers can know that some portions of your content belong to you. Hence, it is easier to identify how recent the information is.
Citation for your paper comes with several advantages. They include:
The citation affirms the integrity of your academic writing. In this information age, there are several details, and it can be difficult to authenticate. When you reference, it helps readers understand the necessity of the discussed topic. Referencing certain authors can give more authority to your papers.
Plagiarism refers to the mindless lifting of details from another material without acknowledging the details. For the source, they could believe you are stealing from them. In most countries, copyright infringement is a punishable crime and can make you lose your hard work.
Credibility is the goal of every academic scholar. There is no better way to gain relevance than by citing sources from other credible ones.
For other researchers like you, providing citations can serve as other sources for more information. It helps them to know other philosophies about the subject.
Now that the advantages have been established, the new worry is the choice of the right style. There are several styles with their respective peculiarities. For example, the MLA writing style is common in liberal scientific paper citations. Let’s delve more into MLA formatting for research papers and other styles.
The commonest style used by many scholars is APA formatting , especially if there is no stated style. This approach employs the use of in-text citations to explain the source. It’s the simplest form of citation.
Here is an in-text referencing example:
“Exercise is a good way to recover from ailments.” APA, n.d. (American Psychological Association).
The reference style includes:
MLA-style formation is concise and known for its scientific referencing format. The peculiarity of the MLA citation is its source citation, episode title, and document layout. You have to:
Ensure you capitalize every word when including the names. You can employ professional MLA Citation Generators to make the compilation easier. It is perfect for the citation format of scientific papers.
Chicago’s style is famous for two things:
It is an author-date approach. Hence, the in-text citation for a research paper has the author’s or source name and publication year.
This employs the use of numbers. It is chronological as it arranges the citation based on the order of appearance. A click on it takes the reader to the full reference at the end of the paper. To make it easier, you can employ IEEE Citation Maker for a well-curated task. This way, you won’t have to worry about the manual compilation of the IEEE citation style.
This is similar to the author-date approach by Chicago Style. You can:
Do you want to know how to complete a citation for your professional research paper writing service and research paper? Learn about its components.
The author is also regarded as the source. It is the original writer of the material you are referencing. Sometimes, there may be multiple authors. Do not miss out on anyone while citing a research paper.
The title of the source is often the name given to the material by the author.
As the name implies, this refers to the date the source was published. Frequently, most writers include it at the start of their material. State the exact month and year of publication, separated with a comma. See example:
“(2016, March 7).”
Including the publisher’s details is only necessary for the full reference. It should be at the end of the paper. It can facilitate further research.
The page number is necessary, as it helps to easily refer to different sections of the paper.
A DOI is a link to a resource on the internet. The resource can be a book or its chapter. On the other hand, a URL is an address that indicates where the resource can be found. It helps to locate the resource. The use of URLs and DOIs directs readers to the digital identifier of the source.
An in-text citation for a research paper is the brief form of the bibliography that you include in the body of the content. It contains the author’s family name and year of publication. It provides enough details to help users know the source in their reference list. Each citation format for research papers is unique.
See citation examples below.
The general rule in referencing is that in-text citations must have a corresponding entry in your reference list. Let’s see how!
There are two types of APA in-text citations:
Parenthetical:
The researchers concluded, “Climate change poses significant challenges for coastal communities” (Johnson & Lee, 2021, p. 78).
In their study on the effects of exercise on mental health, Smith and Johnson (2019) found that regular physical activity was associated with a significant decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to their research, engaging in exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes had a positive impact on participants’ overall well-being.
APA in-text citation style employs the source’s name and publication year. A direct quotation will include the page number. Remember, you can generate a citation in a research paper using the APA style via a citation generator.
MLA is known as the scientific style of citation. The uniqueness of MLA Style formatting is the use of a direct quote (in quotes), the Author’s name and page number (in parentheses).
In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch imparts wisdom to his children, saying, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 30).
For Chicago, you are to include a parenthetical citation, the author’s name, the publication year, and the quote’s page number.
As Adams (2009) argues, “History is a vast early warning system” (53).
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) style typically uses numerical citations in square brackets for in-text citations. It doesn’t rely heavily on direct quotations in the same way as some other citation styles, like APA or MLA. Instead, IEEE generally prefers paraphrasing and citing the source, but direct quotations can be used when necessary. Here’s an example of a direct quotation in IEEE style:
In-Text Citation:
As stated by Smith, “In most cases, the impedance of the transmission line remains relatively constant throughout its length” [1].
Corresponding Reference Entry:
[1] A. Smith, “Transmission Line Impedance Analysis,” IEEE Transactions on Electrical Engineering, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 212-225, 2010.
ASA is different because it contains the author’s name, publication year, and even the page number.
According to Smith (2010), “Social institutions shape our behaviors and interactions in profound ways” (p. 45).
While writing a college paper, paraphrasing is important to achieve clarity, but it is ideal to cite the source of the paraphrased information. The proper way to cite paraphrased information is to include a parenthetical citation. The style of referencing for all citation styles doesn’t change, but they should be in parenthesis.
“Strength can be defined in terms of ability and acquired skills, according to (Jack et al. 2023).
The technique is different when you are citing a source that has multiple authors. For the first-time citation, you should include the names of all the authors. The subsequent activities to generate a citation in APA should only include the first author’s surname and the proper use of ‘et al.’ However, you should include the surname and initials of all these authors in the full reference. Separate the authors with commas and ampersands before the final name.
Two Authors:
When a source has two authors, include both authors’ names in the in-text citation every time you reference the source. Use an ampersand (&) between the authors’ names, and include the year of publication in parentheses. For example:
(Smith & Johnson, 2020) found that…
Three to Five Authors:
When a source has three to five authors, list all authors in the first in-text citation. Use an ampersand (&) between the last two authors’ names. For subsequent citations of the same source, use only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” and the year. For example:
First citation: (Smith, Johnson, & Williams, 2018)…
Subsequent citations: (Smith et al., 2018)…
Six or More Authors:
When a source has six or more authors, you should use “et al.” in both the first and subsequent in-text citations, along with the year. For example:
(Smith et al., 2019) conducted a study on…
Group Authors:
When citing sources authored by a group, organization, or company, use the full name of the group or organization as the author in the in-text citation. If the abbreviation is well-known, you can use the abbreviation in subsequent citations. For example:
First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2019)…
Subsequent citations: (APA, 2019)
When a source has two authors, include both authors’ names in the in-text citation, separated by the word “and.” For example:
(Smith and Johnson 45) found that…
Three or More Authors:
When a source has three or more authors, include only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in the in-text citation. For example:
(Smith et al. 72) conducted a study on…
If a source has no identifiable author, use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks or use italics if it’s a longer work (e.g., a book or film). For example:
(“Title of the Source” 28) argues that…
(American Psychological Association 62) states that…
Author-Date System:
In the Author-Date system, when a source has two authors, include both authors’ last names and the publication year in parentheses in the in-text citation, separated by an ampersand (&). For example:
(Smith & Johnson 2020) found that…
When a source has three or more authors, you can use “et al.” after the first author’s name in the in-text citation. For example:
(Smith et al. 2018) conducted a study on…
Notes and Bibliography System:
In the Notes and Bibliography system, when a source has two authors, include both authors’ full names in the note. For example:
John Smith and Jane Johnson, Title of the Work (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
When a source has three or more authors, list the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in the note. For example:
John Smith et al., Title of the Work (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
When a source has two authors, include both authors’ last names in the in-text citation, separated by the word “and.” For example:
(Smith and Johnson 2020) found that…
Three Authors:
When a source has three authors, include all three authors’ last names in the in-text citation, separated by commas. For example:
(Smith, Johnson, and Williams 2018) conducted a study on…
More than Three Authors:
When a source has more than three authors, you should use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” in the in-text citation. For example:
(Smith et al. 2019) conducted a study on…
When a source has two authors, include both authors’ last names in the in-text citation, separated by “and.” For example:
[1] Smith and Johnson found that…
When a source has three or more authors, use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” in the in-text citation. For example:
[2] Smith et al. conducted a study on…
The use of page numbers in in-text citations is more peculiar to APA style. You can use paragraphs as indicated above if the source has no page, as seen in some e-books and websites.
Creating a reference list is one of the most important tips for writing a research paper because it shows the general scheme of paper citation. This part of the content is a step-by-step process you can follow to create your reference list for your research paper.
Formatting and organizing your references is the first step when you want to create your bibliography. You need to arrange all the full references to the in-text citation in the downward part of your paper. To avoid missing out on any, writing every full reference when you write the in-text citation is advisable.
Alphabetizing your references ensures you create your bibliography in an orderly fashion for easy comprehension. Hence, you can do it numerically or alphabetically. The numerical order is dependent on the referencing system you are using, while the alphabetical order uses the author’s name to organize the reference.
Different source types have their respective references, even for scientific papers. The commonest sources include books, journals, chapters, presentations, and online (to cite a website).
See how to cite an example for each source below:
Author, Initial. (Year). Book Title. City of publication, Country/State: Publisher.
“Social, M. (2023). The effect of the internet in this modern era . London, England: Ink.”
Author last name, First name. Book Title: Subtitle . Edition, Publisher, Year.
Donaldson, Bruce. Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar . 3rd ed., Routledge, 2017..
Author last name, First name. Book Title: Subtitle . Edition. Place of publication: Publisher, Year. E-book format.
Donaldson, Bruce. Dutch: A Comprehensive Grammar . 3rd ed. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2017.
Quote (Name Date)
Referencing is vital in research (Smith 2020).
Author, Initial. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title. The volume of the Journal (in italics), issue number of journal in round brackets, page range of articles, URL, and first time.
Social, M. (2023). The effect of the internet in this modern era . Digital Technology, 26(8), 22-24. (Insert URL).
Author. Journal title Date, Page. DOI
Ahmed, Sara. “What is Whiteness.” Feminist Theory , vol. 8, no. 2, Aug. 2007, pp. 149–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700107078139.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Journal Name Volume, No. Issue (Month or Season Year): Page range. DOI or URL.
Pickard, Hanna. “What Is Personality Disorder?” Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology 18, no. 3 (September 2011): 181–84. https://doi.org/10.1353/ppp.2011.0040.
Author Initial(s) and Surname, “Article title,” Journal Title , volume number, issue number, page range, month, and year of publication.
Author Surname, Author Forename. Year Published. ‘Title’. Publication Title Volume Number (Issue Number): Pages Used. Retrieved October 10, 2013 (http://Website URL).
Sandelowski, Margarete. 1994. ‘Focus On Qualitative Methods. Notes On Transcription’. Research in Nursing \& Health 17(4):312.
Chapter Author’s Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Chapter or article title. Editor First Initial. Second Initial. Editor’s Last Name (Ed.). Book title: Subtitle (edition number, if not the first pages of the chapter). Location of publication: Publisher.
Social, M.O., (2023). Coarctation. In D.S. Moodie (Ed.). Management of heart disease: Indulthood (pp. 142-170). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Cardiotext Publishing.
Name. Book title: Subtitle. Editors. Location of publication: publisher.
Schwartz, Paula. “Redefining Resistance: Women in France.” Behind the Lines: Two World Wars , edited by Margaret R. Higonnet et al., Yale UP, 1987, pp. 141–53.
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Chapter Title.” In Book Title: Subtitle , edited by Editor first name Last name, Page range. Place of publication: Publisher, Year.
Nussbaum, Martha C. “Legal Reasoning.” In The Cambridge Law , edited by John Tasioulas, 59–77. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Author(s), “Chapter title,” in Book Title, Editor(s), Ed(s). City, Country: Publisher, year, p(p). page(s).
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Year of publication. “Title of Chapter.” Pp. Numbers in Title of Book (italicized), edited by F.I. MI. Last. Location of publisher, state or province postal code or name of country (if a foreign publisher): Publisher’s Name.
Rubin, Avi. 2015. “The Slave: A Drama from the Last Century.” Pp. 87-103 in Society, Culture in Asia: The Modernities , edited by E. R. Toledano: Walter De Gruyter Incorporated.
Last name, initial (Year). Conference paper title. Editor initial, last name (Ed.), Proceedings Book Title . Place of Publication: Publisher.
Winstone, N. & Boud, D. (2017). Supporting students’ engagement: the adoption of practices in the U.K. and Australia. A nnual Conference . Newport, South Wales
Surname, First Name. “Paper Title.” Proceedings Title, Conference Location and Date , edited by Editor Name(s), Publisher, Date of Publication.
Lewis, Jack. “Literature: The Consequences of Loss.” Library Proceedings Conference, Amsterdam, 13–14 June , edited by W. Oldham, LCP Publications, 2015.
Author First Name Last Name, “Title of the Paper” (paper presentation, Conference, Location, Date of conference).
Allison Cloyd, “An Examination of College Students” (paper presentation, EasyBib Conference, New York, NY, July 30, 2014) .
Author initials. Last name, Book Title . City, Country: Publisher, Year.
Author Surname, Author Forename. Year Published. ‘Title’. P. Pages Used in Publication Title . City: Publisher. Retrieved October 10, 2013 (http://Website URL).
Vargas, Jose. 2014. ‘The End Of Liberty’. Pp. 40-42 in The end . Buenos Aires: Elsevier.
Last Name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title . Site Name. URL
The countdown: A prophecy takedown . (2020, October 19). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54596667
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . Edition, Publisher, Year of publication.
Smith, Thomas. The Citation Manual for Students: A Guide . 2nd ed., Wiley, 2020.
Author First and Last Name, Title of Book (Place of publication: publisher, year), page number(s).
Albert Einstein, The Meaning of Relativity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1923), 44–45.
Author initials. Last Name, Book Title . City (and state if in the U.S.), Country: Publisher, Year.
Last Name, First M. Year. “Title of article.” Title of Journal volume (issue): pages.
DOI/Retrieved Month Day, Year (URL)
Granello, Paul F. 1999. “College Students’ Wellness Due to Social Support.” Journal of Counseling 2(2):110-120.
Doi: 10.1002/j.2161-1882.1999.tb00149.x.
The goal of citing your paper is because of the advantages stated above. As such, you should not negotiate the accuracy of your citation. Here are the tips you can follow for accurate referencing:
Confirm if your source is credible or not. It is easier to verify books, journal articles, and chapters. You should check multiple links to confirm their authenticity.
Maintain a single referencing style throughout your paper. It is improper to employ multiple referencing styles. If not specified, you can consider the APA style.
DOI and URLs can be tricky and sensitive. A simple error with the punctuation can make them invalid. Hence, verifying every DOI and URL with a click is advisable. Discrediting your citation format for a scientific research paper reference based on an invalid URL is not worth it.
Thanks to the digital age, you don’t have to worry about manually compiling your reference or generating its in-text citation. You can employ online generators to do the rough work for you. In turn, you will have more time to focus on the major content of your research work.
Libraries and writing centers have extensive collections of cited sources. Since books, publications, and journals are more credible sources, university libraries remain a valid source to increase the credibility of your paper.
Referencing and citation are the best way to preserve the relevance of your academic paper. It gives it the appropriate credibility for future use. That means another writer can refer to your work over many years, even when the level of advancement may be unmatched. A well-referenced work is evergreen.
One must note that well-oriented research paper citations have a proper format. The options include APA, MLA (citation style for science), Chicago, IEEE, and ASA. If not stated, it is advisable to follow the APA formatting style, as it is the most common. However, stick with formatting while compiling cited sources for a research paper.
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Educational resources and simple solutions for your research journey
You truly are navigating a maze when it comes to ci tations and the question of how to write references in research pa per s. In part 1 of this article, we touched upon citations, which are pointers embedded in the text of a research paper, to sources of information or to other research relevant to that being described in the research paper. Those pointers lead to references in research papers , which typically appear at the end of the text. Whereas citations merely point us to sources in research papers, references describe those sources in sufficient detail for readers (1) to know the title of each source, who is responsible for its content, and when it was published; (2) to look up those sources; and (3) to obtain the documents in question if required.
Table of Contents
In writing a research paper, a researcher draws upon many sources of information, knowledge, opinions, and so on. One of the the most common type s of reference s in research papers is other research papers published in journals; other common sources include technical reports, handbooks, presentations at conferences, and books. Increasingly, the sources in research papers are digital and include web pages, databases, blog posts, and even tweets and emails.
Not all sources are considered equally credible , and some may not be accessible to all because they are behind paywalls or available only to members of a network (company intranets, for example) or because they are personal exchanges.
If the citations follow the Harvard system, references in a research paper s are sorted alphabetically by the last name of the first author; if the citations follow the Vancouver system, the references are arranged by numbers: the reference corresponding to the first numbered citation is numbered 1, and so on. If a source is cited again, its allocated number does not change.
Some additional conventions govern the alphabetic sorting of references in research papers . For instance, when authors have some papers in which they are the only author and others in which they have one or more co-authors or when the same author or authors have papers published in different years or even within the same year.
Some publishers make even greater demands of references in research papers : authors are expected to sort the list of references alphabetically, as in the Harvard system; then number the sorted list serially; and then renumber all the citations within the text so that each corresponds to its new number!
For a source of information to be described accurately, some minimum details are required. Here’s one example of w rit ing references in research paper s – ‘ Nature 171 : 737’ is a code that, if you know how to decipher it, tells you that it means an article published in Nature (a weekly journal published from the UK) that begins on page 737 of volume 171 of that journal. However, it does not tell you what the article was about, who wrote it, when it was published, or even how long it is. A complete reference in research paper s (Fig. 1), however, tells you that the title of the article was ‘Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid’, that it was written by J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick, that it was published in 1953, and that it ran to no more than two pages.
Watson J D and Crick F H C. 1953. Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. : 737–738 A typical reference to a paper published in a journal |
When thinking about how to write research references , remember that the elements that make up a reference to an article published in a journal are different from those that make up a reference to a book (edition if not the first, the publisher, and the place of publication, although the last is no longer considered essential in today’s globalized publishing). The elements that make up a reference to a technical report include the name of the organization issuing that report and the report number, if any, and that to a conference presentation gives the title of the conference, the date(s) on which it was held and the place, the name of the organizer(s) of the conference, and so on.
Note that journals or publishers differ in the elements they expect authors to include when they state how to put references in research papers ; for example, some journals give only minimal information and exclude the titles of articles and some use the ‘elided’ form of page numbers (737–38 instead of 737–738, for example).
Then there is the question of abbreviated names of journals: some publishers abbreviate journal titles and some don’t ( Annals of Applied Biology or Ann. Appl. Biol.). And those who do, often disagree on the correct abbreviation—and on whether the abbreviations should end in dots (whether the word ‘Journal’ should be given as J. or J or Jnl or Jnl.).
Publishers and journals also differ in the order or sequence in which they present the elements or components of reference s in research papers : usually, British and European publishers put the year of publication after the names of authors whereas US publishers move the year closer to the volume number of the journal.
Even within an element, the sequence of references in research paper s can have subtle differences. In Harvard system, because the last name of the first author is using for sorting, the name is ‘inverted’, that is the last name is given first, followed by initials (Watson J D instead of J D Watson). However, some journals invert the names of all the authors whereas some invert the name of only the first author. In Vancouver system, the names are seldom inverted because the sequence is not alphabetical.
The many exasperating details that go into formatting references include punctuation marks (or their absence). In giving the initials of authors, some journals use dots, some journals use space, some use both, and some use neither (Watson J.D. or Watson J D or Watson J. D. or Watson JD). Some use a comma between the last name and the initials whereas some reserve the comma only to separate one name from the next (Watson, J D and Crick, F H C or Watson J D, Crick F H C). Some use ‘and’ some don’t, even when there are only two authors, and some use ‘&’ instead which makes it even more confusing for those struggling with how to write references in a research paper.
When the place of publication was a required element in the case of books, some publishers used the colon and some used the comma (and also changed the order, as in New York: Harper & Row or Harper & Row, New York). Some publishers end each reference with a full stop (period) and some don’t.
As if the variations mentioned above were not enough, when figuring out how to add references in a research paper , you also have to contend with the differences in typography as well: journal titles in italics or in normal type, volume numbers in bold or in normal type, hyphens or en dashes between page numbers (737-738 or 737–738), and so on.
All is not lost, however, if you despair of ever getting the references in a research paper right. For example, some publishers now insist on correct formatting only after a paper has been accepted for publication. Also, ICMJE, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, recommends a set of uniform requirements for manuscripts (the requirements include the formatting of citations and references), and hundreds of medical journals ( www.icmje.org/journals-following-the-icmje-recommendations/ ) have agreed that as long as authors adhere to those recommendations on how to mention references for research papers , any changes to the formatting any journal wants to make will be made by the journal in question.
Lastly, several software packages help authors to automate this mundane task of consistent formatting of references in research paper s—but that is another article and another day.
The details involved in using citations and references correctly can be overwhelming for some of us. While this article covers the key tips to help you understand how to give reference s in research paper s , be sure to check out article 1 of this two-part series for more on what, when and how to cite in a research paper. One way to check whether these are handled correctly in your manuscript is to use Researcher.Life’s AI powered manuscript optimizer , which can flag any discrepancies, departures from standard style, and mismatches between citations and references in research paper s.
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Published on November 4, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.
On the APA reference page, you list all the sources that you’ve cited in your paper. The list starts on a new page right after the body text.
Follow these instructions to set up your APA reference page:
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Setting up the apa reference page, apa alphabetization guidelines, which sources to include on the reference page, annotated bibliography, creating apa references.
References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).
Word processors like Word or Google Docs and citation generators can usually order the reference list automatically. However, ordering becomes challenging when citing multiple works by the same author or works by authors with the same last name.
Our in-depth article on ordering references in APA Style explains what to do in these situations.
Only include references for sources cited in the body text (with an APA in-text citation ). Don’t include references for:
For some student papers, it’s common to describe or evaluate the source in an annotation . These annotations are placed on a new line below the corresponding reference entry. The entire annotation is indented 0.5 inches.
If an annotation consists of multiple paragraphs, the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs is indented an additional 0.5 inches.
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The format of an APA reference differs depending on the source type. Play around with the options in the Scribbr Example Generator to get familiar with APA Style.
With Scribbr’s free APA citation generator you can easily cite your sources according to the new 7th edition guidelines. It’s accurate, fast, and easy to use. Give it a try!
APA Citation Generator
Check out Scribbr’s citation examples to learn more about citing each type of source, ranging from books and journals to podcasts and tweets !
Periodicals
Reports and gray literature
Books and reference works
Audiovisual works
Online media
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). Setting Up the APA Reference Page | Formatting & References (Examples). Scribbr. Retrieved September 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-reference-page/
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Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here .
Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper
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Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.
However, for your convenience, we have provided two versions of our APA 7 sample paper below: one in student style and one in professional style.
Note: For accessibility purposes, we have used "Track Changes" to make comments along the margins of these samples. Those authored by [AF] denote explanations of formatting and [AWC] denote directions for writing and citing in APA 7.
Apa 7 professional paper:.
Last Updated: March 29, 2024 Fact Checked
This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 420,403 times.
When writing a paper for a research project, you may need to cite a research paper you used as a reference. The basic information included in your citation will be the same across all styles. However, the format in which that information is presented is somewhat different depending on whether you're using American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), Chicago, or American Medical Association (AMA) style.
To cite a paper APA style, start with the author's last name and first initial, and the year of publication. Then, list the title of the paper, where you found it, and the date that you accessed it. In a paper, use a parenthetical reference with the last name of the author and the publication year. For an MLA citation, list the author's last name and then first name and the title of the paper in quotations. Include where you accessed the paper and the date you retrieved it. In your paper, use a parenthetical reference with the author's last name and the page number. Keep reading for tips on Chicago and AMA citations and exceptions to the citation rules! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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How to Cite a Book | APA, MLA, & Chicago Examples
How to Cite a Book in APA Style | Format & Examples
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To cite an article in such a collection, you should list the last name and first initial of the individual author (s), followed by the publication date and chapter title. Next, the editors should be listed, followed by the title of the book and the page numbers of the chapter. The publisher's name goes last.
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Journal Articles. References to journal articles usually include the author's name, title of the article, name of the journal, volume and issue number, page numbers, and publication date. Example: Johnson, T. (2021). The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health. Journal of Psychology, 32 (4), 87-94.
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When a source has two authors, include both authors' names in the in-text citation every time you reference the source. Use an ampersand (&) between the authors' names, and include the year of publication in parentheses. For example: (Smith & Johnson, 2020) found that….
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