How to Write an APA Style Bibliography

originated by:Randomhistory, Jack Herrick, Eric Wester, Anonymous (see all)

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A bibliography provides an alphabetized list of all of the sources that were used to create an
article, and it is a necessary component of any piece of academic research or writing. By
citing your sources at the end of your paper, you are letting your readers know where they
can go to verify your research or find more information; you are also acknowledging the
research and ideas of others and protecting yourself from accusations of plagiarism. To
compile and write an APA-style bibliography for your paper or article, you should follow the
steps below:

Steps
1.

Begin a new page separate from the text for your bibliography or reference list.
A reference list is different from a bibliography. Find out which one you need. The
only difference is that a reference list includes what you have cited within the text,
and sources you have used, but nothing else. Any other sources you have read or seen,
but later discarded because they are irrelevant, outdated, etc., should never be
included in a reference list, but can be included in the bibliography.

2.

Create an alphabetized list of your sources based upon the author’s last name. If
the source you are using contains two or more authors, use the last name of the author
listed first on the title page. If your source does not list an author, use the first word of
the title to alphabetize the work.

3.

For each source, list the author’s last name and first initials, with a comma
separating the names and initials and periods after the initials. APA calls for
initials only to reduce bias. Ex. Smith, M.A.

4.

After the author’s name, list the date of publication in parentheses, with a period
following the closing parenthesis. Ex. (2005).

5.

List the title of the article. Capitalize only the first word of the title unless
subsequent words are proper nouns. End with a period. This step does not apply if you
are referring to an entire book.
 6.

List the title of the work (book or journal) in italicized text, with a period
following the title. If it is a book (or any other source except a journal) you will
capitalize only the first word of the title unless subsequent words are proper nouns or
the first word after a colon, and end it with a period. Ex. How to write an APA-style
bibliography. If it is a journal, capitalize all major words, insert a comma, add the
volume number, issue number (in parentheses, if applicable -- if the journal starts the
page numbering of each issue with 1, then include this; if the journal continues page
numbering issue to issue for a volume, do not include this), another comma, the page
number(s) and a period to end the journal citation. Ex. The Statesman Journal, 59(4),
286-295.

7.

List the place of publication of the book (city, state or just city) and then the
name of the publisher, with a colon separating them. Follow the publisher with a
period. Ex. Boston, MA: Random House.

8.

Indent all but the first line of every entry (a hanging indent).

Examples
Book

Morales, L. (1987). The history of Cuba. New York: Franklin Watts.

Ellington, W., Jr., & Henrickson, E.B. (1995). The elements of dance (3rd ed.). New York:
Macmillan.

Oregon State University Soil Ecology Center (1982). A directory of Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA) Farms. Columbus, OH: Natural Resources Institute.

Book Chapter

Tizol, W.P. (1976). Brain function and memory. In J.M.O. Corney & H.L. Center (Eds.), An
inside look at what we think we know. (pp. 154-184). Springfield, IL: American Psychiatric
Press.

Journal Article
Bauzá, R.H. (1982). Manitoba nematodes. Journal of Cool Nematodes, 10, 252-264.

Gillespie, R.C., & Tupac, R.M. (1976). How confident people dance. American Dancing, 225, 82-
90.

The lamb business. (1992, September 11). Willamette Valley Lamb, 97, 47-48.

Magazine Article

Pozo, E. R. (2008, November 19). The way she loved me. Personal Literature, 290, 1113-1120.

Encyclopedia Article

Parker, S.A. (1947). Fetal development. In International encyclopedia of pregnancy (Vol. 7, pp.
202-207). New York: Aesculapius Publishers.

Newspaper Article

Amazing women. (1955, January 12). The Journal News, pp. D11, D14.

Electronic Journal Article From a Database

Tjader, J.W., Coltrane, J.A., & Taylor, A.A. (1995). A history of mockery. American
Psychologist, 50, 750-765. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.

Electronic Journal Article (print version)

Rodriguez, G., Puente, S., & Mayfield , J. (2001). Role of upbringing in family attitudes.
[Electronic version]. Journal of Family Research, 5, 117-123.

Website

Summers, M. (2007) Cool scenes. Retrieved August 27, 2007, from http://coolscenesilove.edu/