APA Journal Reference Format Study Guide

When writing in psychology we often must cite the research or ideas of others; thus a paper will usually conclude with a reference list that provides the information necessary to identify each individual source. This list provides the reader with the information needed to locate the original information, it is therefore particularly important that care be taken when compiling it. To standardize the presentation of reference lists the American Psychological Association (APA) has developed a specific referencing style that is used in all psychological reports. Following this referencing format precisely is a good way to prevent errors.

Presented below are some general guidelines for preparing a reference page using APA style when referencing Journal articles:

General Guidelines:

1. Reference lists must be typed. The page should be double-spaced and typed in no smaller then 12 font.
2. When beginning each reference entry the first line should begin with a paragraph indent
3. A. The entries are listed alphabetically by the author's last name. If more then one article by the same author(s) is referenced, those with the earliest publication date appear first.
   B. References that include multiple authors should be placed in the overall order by the surname of the first author. References with the same first author and different secondary authors are ordered as follows: Single author entries by that author, then those with the multiple authors and these are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the second author.
4. Journal references should include all of the following information in the precise order presented below:
   
   • All authors names (in the order they appear in the publication) in the form: Last name, first initial,
   • Year of Publication (in parentheses).
   • Title of article.
   • Name of the Journal or periodical in which the article was published (underlined),
   • The volume number (underlined),
   • The inclusive page numbers.
   
   For example:
        Griggs, R. A., Jackson, S. L., and Meyer, M. E. (1989). High school and college psychology: Two different worlds. Teaching of Psychology, 16, 118-120.
5. Capitalize only the first word of the title of the article.
6. Do not use "pp." to indicate page numbers in journal articles, only use it when referencing books, magazines and newspapers.
7. See the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4 th Ed) pages 174-234 for details on how to reference other sources of information.

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