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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Reference List and Sample Papers

Note: This guide reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7).

Sample Papers

The APA Style website contains several sample papers formatted in seventh edition APA Style. The sample papers were published in both annotated and non-annotated formats. The annotations draw attention to relevant content and formatting and provide users with the relevant sections of the Publication Manual (7th ed.) to consult for more information.

Appendix

Sometimes authors wish to include material that supplements the paper's content but that would be distracting in the text of the paper. Such material can often be included in an appendix. If you are adding an appendix to your paper, here are a few rules to follow:

  • The appendix appears after the Reference list, tables, and figures.
  • Each appendix begins on a new page.
  • If you only have one appendix, label it Appendix. If you have more than one appendix, name the first appendix Appendix A, the second appendix Appendix B, etc.
  • The appendices should appear in the order that the information is mentioned in your paper.
  • Each appendix should be mentioned (called out) at least once in the text by its label (e.g., "see Appendix A").
  • Place the appendix label and title in bold and centered on separate lines at the top of the page on which the appendix begins.
  • Use title case for the appendix label and title.

Reference List

A Reference list provides a reliable way for readers to locate the works authors cite. Here are a few rules for a Reference list:

  • The Reference list appears after the text and before any tables, figures, and appendices.
  • The Reference list begins on a new page.
  • Label the Reference list "References." Center this heading and use a bold font.
  • Double-space the list.
  • Start the first line of each reference at the left margin; indent each subsequent line 0.5 inches (a hanging indent).
  • Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the reference. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.