GENERAL STEPS FOR REFERENCE WRITING
1. Identify the Reference Style
o Choose the required citation style — e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard
— depending on your institution or publication.
o Each style has its own rules for order, punctuation, and formatting.
2. Collect Necessary Information
For any source, gather these key details:
o Author(s)
o Year of publication
o Title of the work
o Source (book, journal, website, etc.)
o Publisher or URL
o Page numbers (if applicable)
o DOI (for academic journals, if available)
3. Arrange the Information in the Correct Order
Follow the sequence required by the chosen style.
For example:
o APA (7th edition): Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.
o MLA (9th edition): Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book.
Publisher, Year.
o Chicago: Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place: Publisher,
Year.
4. Apply Formatting Rules
o Use italics or quotation marks as required.
o Pay attention to capitalization rules (e.g., only capitalize the first word and
proper nouns in APA).
o Use hanging indentation for each reference entry.
5. Check Consistency
o Make sure all entries follow the same format.
o Ensure every in-text citation has a matching entry in the reference list.
6. Organize References Alphabetically
o Sort the reference list by the author’s last name.
o If there’s no author, use the title for alphabetical order.
7. Proofread
o Verify spelling, punctuation, and italics.
o Double-check URLs and DOIs.
Steps for Writing References in APA Style (7th Edition)
Step 1: Identify the Source Type
Determine what kind of source you’re citing:
• Book
• Journal article
• Website
• Edited book chapter
• Report, etc.
APA format differs slightly for each.
Step 2: Collect Essential Information
Source Type Key Information Needed
Book Author(s), year, title (italicized), publisher
Journal Author(s), year, article title, journal title (italicized), volume (italicized), issue
article (if any), pages, DOI
Author or organization, date (year/month/day), webpage title, website name,
Website
URL
Step 3: Arrange Information in APA Reference Format
General formats:
• Book:
→ Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.
• Journal article:
→ Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal,
volume(issue), page range. https://doi.org/...
• Website:
→ Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL
Step 4: Apply APA Formatting Rules
Authors:
• Write last name + initials (e.g., Smith, J. A.).
• Use “&” before the last author.
Titles:
• Capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.
• Italicize book and journal titles.
Layout:
• Use hanging indent (0.5 inch for the second line onward).
• List entries alphabetically by author’s last name.
Step 5: Add In-Text Citations
In-text citations appear within the text of your paper and correspond to entries in your
reference list.
APA uses the author–date system.
A. Parenthetical citation (at the end of a sentence):
(Author, Year)
B. Narrative citation (author in the sentence):
Author (Year)
Step 6: Match In-Text Citations with References
Each in-text citation must have a matching entry in your reference list.
Examples (APA 7th Edition)
1. Book
Reference:
Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding psychology. Oxford University Press.
In-text citations:
• Parenthetical: (Smith, 2020)
• Narrative: Smith (2020) explains that human behavior is influenced by multiple
factors.
2. Journal Article
Reference:
Brown, L. M., & Davis, K. (2021). The impact of digital media on education. Journal of
Educational Research, 15(3), 45–59. https://doi.org/10.1234/jer.2021.01503
In-text citations:
• Parenthetical: (Brown & Davis, 2021)
• Narrative: Brown and Davis (2021) found that digital media improved student
engagement.
3. Website
Reference:
World Health Organization. (2023, June 15). Mental health and wellbeing.
https://www.who.int/mental-health
In-text citations:
• Parenthetical: (World Health Organization, 2023)
• Narrative: According to the World Health Organization (2023), promoting wellbeing
is vital for public health.
Final Tips
• Always double-check punctuation, italics, and capitalization.
• Use “et al.” for three or more authors (e.g., Johnson et al., 2022).
• Include a DOI whenever possible for journal articles.
• Alphabetize your entire reference list by first author’s surname.
