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APA Style: Reference List

A guide to APA referencing style for Khalifa University students and staff

Format reference list

  • All documents cited in your assignment must be listed in a single alphabetical list at the end of the assignment.

  • The list is arranged by the author's surname, or title if no author is given.

  • Only the author's initials are included regardless of the presentation of the author's name in the source document. The given name may be cited in full if it is needed to correctly identify the author, for example, where different authors have the same surname and initials. Capitalisation practice also should be consistent.

  • Include the names of all authors unless the authors number eight or more, in this case include the first six authors' names, then insert three ellipses and follow with the final author's name.

  • Titles and subtitles of journal articles, book parts and book titles are given minimal capitalisation. Only the first letter of the first word of the title (and subtitle, if given) and those words that normally have an initial capital (proper nouns) are capitalised.

  • Journal titles are given maximal capitalisation. All words other than prepositions, conjunctions, and definite and indefinite articles (a, an, the) are capitalised.

  • Journal and book titles are italicised when typed or underlined when handwritten.

  • A hanging indent for each reference makes the alphabetical sequence more obvious