Formatting Your APA Reference Page (APA 7th Edition): Complete Guide

What Goes on an APA Reference Page?

The APA reference page is one of the most important parts of any paper formatted in APA, one of the most widely used citation styles in academic writing. But before the formatting rules, let's be clear about what actually belongs on it.

Only sources you actually cited in your paper go here. Every source you mentioned using APA in-text citations must appear on this page, and everything on this page must have a matching in-text citation somewhere in your body text. If you read something but didn't cite it, leave it off.

A few other things to know about placement and labeling:

APA Reference Page Formatting Rules

Getting the formatting right comes down to six main rules. These apply to the entire page, not just individual entries.

• Label: Type "References" at the top of the page, bold and centered. No special font, no decorative styling.
• Double-spacing: Yes, APA references are double-spaced. The full reference page is double-spaced, including between entries. You don't add an extra blank line between sources. This is the most commonly searched question from this section, so to be direct: are references double spaced in APA? Yes, always, with no extra breaks.
• Font: Use the same font as the rest of your paper. For most student papers, that's Times New Roman 12pt or Arial 11pt.
• Margins: One inch on all sides, consistent with the rest of the paper.
• Page numbers: Continue your paper's page numbering into the reference page. The number goes in the top right corner.
• Hanging indent: Every reference entry uses a 0.5-inch hanging indent. That means the first line of each entry sits flush with the left margin, and any additional lines are indented 0.5 inches. This is the formatting element students get wrong most often, and it's very visible when it's missing. 

How to Set Up Your Reference Page in Word (Step by Step)

This is where most guides fail students. Knowing the rules is one thing. Actually getting Word to do what you want is another. Here's the step-by-step.

Step 1: 

At the end of your paper's final page, insert a page break (Ctrl + Enter on PC, Cmd + Enter on Mac). This puts the reference page on its own page.

Step 2: 

Type "References" and center it using the alignment tool or Ctrl + E. Then bold it with Ctrl + B.

Step 3: 

Press Enter, then turn off bold and switch back to left alignment. You're now ready to type your entries.

Step 4: 

Type or paste all your reference entries, one after the other, no blank lines between them.

Step 5: 

Select all your reference entries (not the "References" heading). Then apply the hanging indent. In Word: go to Format > Paragraph > Indentation > Special > Hanging, and set it to 0.5 inches. The fastest shortcut: with your entries selected, press Ctrl + T (PC) or Cmd + T (Mac).

Step 6: 

With your entries still selected, set line spacing to double. Go to the Home tab > Line Spacing > 2.0.

For Google Docs: The steps are nearly identical. For the hanging indent, go to Format > Align & Indent > Indentation options > Special indent > Hanging > 0.5 inches.

Alphabetical Order Rules for APA References

APA references are alphabetized by the first author's last name. That's the basic rule. But there are several edge cases that come up often enough to be worth knowing before you finalize your list.

• Same surname, different authors: If two authors share a last name, alphabetize by their first initial. Smith, A. comes before Smith, J.
• Multiple works by the same author: List them in chronological order, earliest publication first. If two works have the same year, add a lowercase letter after the year: (2022a), (2022b), and alphabetize by title.
• No author: Move the title to the first position and alphabetize by the first meaningful word. Ignore "The," "A," and "An" at the start of a title.
• Numbers in titles: Alphabetize as if the number were spelled out. A title beginning with "10" would alphabetize as if it started with "ten."
• Organization as author: Use the full organization name and alphabetize by the first word of that name.

Here's a quick reference for the most common edge cases:

When a source has no author, move the title to the first position and alphabetize by the first meaningful word.

APA Reference Page Examples by Source Type

Seeing correctly formatted entries side by side is the fastest way to check your own work. Here are examples for the three source types you'll use most.

Book

Journal Article (with DOI)

Website

Common APA Reference Page Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Most formatting errors on the reference page come down to the same handful of mistakes. Here's what to look for and how to correct it.

Mistake 1: Using "Works Cited" or "Bibliography" instead of "References." 

Works Cited is an MLA term. See our APA vs MLA guide for the full comparison. In APA, the heading is always "References," no exceptions.

Mistake 2: Missing or incorrect hanging indent 

This is the most visible formatting error. If all your lines are flush left, the indent isn't applied. Select all your entries and use Ctrl + T (Word) or the Format > Indentation menu (Google Docs) to apply a 0.5-inch hanging indent.

Mistake 3: Single-spacing or adding blank lines between entries 

The entire reference page should be double-spaced, including the space between entries. Don't add extra blank lines. Select everything and set line spacing to 2.0.

Mistake 4: Alphabetizing by first name instead of last name 

This one's easy to miss if you're working quickly. Check each entry: the author's last name should come first. Smith, J., not John Smith.

Mistake 5: Missing DOI or using the wrong format 

The correct format starts with the full URL: https://doi.org/ followed by the code. Never use "doi:" or the code alone. If you can't find the DOI, look it up on the article's journal page or via CrossRef.

Mistake 6: Including sources you read but didn't cite 

The reference page is not a reading list. It contains only the sources with matching in-text citations in your paper. If you want to include additional sources, that's a bibliography, which APA doesn't use in standard student papers.

Conclusion

Get the six rules locked in: "References" heading, hanging indent, double-spacing, alphabetical order, page number, and matching in-text citations, and you won't lose a single point on formatting. The step by step setup in Word or Google Docs takes five minutes once you know the sequence.

If you hit an edge case (no author, no date, an organization as author), the alphabetical order rules above have you covered. And if your DOI is missing or formatted wrong, fix it before you submit; it's one of the most common reasons students lose easy marks on an otherwise solid paper.

Your reference page doesn't have to be the stressful part. Now you know exactly what goes where. If you are still confused, our expert writers are ready to help you.