How to Format Your Bibliography Correctly

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This guide provides an exhaustive, actionable resource for creating flawless bibliographies in psychology, focusing on the APA 7th Edition style. It moves beyond the basics, offering a definitive roadmap for a scannable, detail-oriented, and directly actionable process. From understanding the core principles to mastering specific entry types, this guide ensures your work meets the highest academic standards.

The Foundation: Understanding the APA 7th Edition

Before diving into the specifics, it’s crucial to grasp the philosophy behind APA style. The 7th Edition, the standard for psychological research, prioritizes clarity, consistency, and a clear path for readers to locate your sources. Its rules are not arbitrary; they are designed to provide a universal language for scholarship.

The core components of any reference entry are the author, date, title, and source. You’ll often hear this referred to as the “who, when, what, and where.” Mastering this fundamental structure is the first step toward a perfect bibliography.

  • Who: The author(s) of the work. This includes individuals, groups, or organizations.

  • When: The publication date. For most sources, this is the year. For more complex sources like newspaper articles, it includes the month and day.

  • What: The title of the work. This is the article title, book title, or webpage title.

  • Where: The source where the work can be found. This includes the journal name, publisher, or URL.

Understanding this framework is the key to creating accurate and consistent entries, no matter the source type.

The Nitty-Gritty: Formatting Basics for the Reference List

Your reference list (also known as a bibliography) is a separate page at the end of your paper. It should be titled “References” centered at the top of the page. The list must be double-spaced and alphabetized by the author’s last name.

Indentation and Punctuation

A key feature of the APA reference list is the hanging indent. The first line of each entry should be flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines should be indented by 0.5 inches. This makes the author’s name stand out and improves scannability.

Punctuation is precise. A period is used after the author, date, and title. Commas separate elements within a single unit (e.g., author’s last name and first initial).

Example:

  • Correct: Smith, J. A. (2020). The psychology of procrastination.

  • Incorrect: Smith J.A. (2020) The Psychology of Procrastination.

Pay close attention to every comma and period. A single misplaced punctuation mark can render a reference incorrect.

Capitalization and Italics

APA style has specific rules for capitalization. In the title of a book, article, or chapter, only the first word, the first word after a colon or dash, and proper nouns are capitalized. This is known as sentence case.

Example:

  • Sentence Case: The psychology of adolescent development: A new perspective.

  • Title Case (Incorrect for article title): The Psychology of Adolescent Development: A New Perspective.

However, the title of the journal or book itself is capitalized in title case. This is a common point of confusion.

Example:

  • Correct: Smith, J. A. (2020). Adolescent development. Journal of Developmental Psychology, 25(3), 45-60.

  • Incorrect: Smith, J. A. (2020). Adolescent development. Journal of developmental psychology, 25(3), 45-60.

Italics are used for the titles of major works (books, journals, reports) and for the volume number of a journal. The issue number is not italicized.

Example:

  • Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(4), 345-360.

  • Journal title, Volume number(Issue number), page range.

Mastering these seemingly small details is what separates a good bibliography from a flawless one.

The Definitive Guide to Specific Source Types

This section breaks down the most common source types you’ll encounter in psychological research, providing a step-by-step formula and concrete examples for each.

Books

Formula for a Book:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Subtitle. Publisher.

Key Considerations:

  • The author is formatted with the last name, followed by a comma and initials.

  • The year is in parentheses, followed by a period.

  • The title is in sentence case and italicized.

  • The publisher is the final element, followed by a period.

  • If a book has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), include it at the end.

Example:

  • One Author: Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

  • Two Authors: Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (2000). Choices, values, and frames. Cambridge University Press.

  • Multiple Authors (21 or more): List the first 19 authors, then an ellipsis (…), followed by the last author.

Edited Books

Formula for an Edited Book:

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of work: Subtitle. Publisher.

Key Considerations:

  • Use “Ed.” for one editor and “Eds.” for multiple editors.

  • The rest of the formatting follows the book formula.

Example:

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (Eds.). (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.

Chapters in Edited Books

Formula for a Chapter:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.

Key Considerations:

  • The chapter title is in sentence case and not italicized.

  • The editor’s name is formatted with initials first, then the last name.

  • The book title is in sentence case and italicized.

  • The page range of the chapter is in parentheses, abbreviated with “pp.”

Example:

  • Sternberg, R. J. (2000). The psychological foundations of creativity. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 569-588). Cambridge University Press.

Journal Articles

Formula for a Journal Article:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, Volume(Issue), pp-pp. DOI or URL.

Key Considerations:

  • The article title is in sentence case and not italicized.

  • The journal title and volume number are italicized and in title case.

  • The issue number is in parentheses and not italicized.

  • The page range follows the issue number.

  • Always include the DOI if available. It’s the most stable identifier. If no DOI, use a stable URL.

Example:

Dissertations and Theses

Formula for an Unpublished Dissertation:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.

Key Considerations:

  • The title is in sentence case and italicized.

  • The type of work is in brackets, followed by a period.

  • The university name is the source.

Example:

  • Wachtel, P. L. (1973). Anxiety and level of arousal in social interactions [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Duke University.

Formula for a Dissertation from a Database:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation (Publication No. ###). [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name.

Key Considerations:

  • The publication number is often provided by the database (e.g., ProQuest).

  • The source is the database name.

Example:

  • Holt, J. L. (2018). Exploring the link between emotional regulation and mindfulness (Publication No. 10987654). [Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Webpages and Websites

Formula for a Webpage:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Key Considerations:

  • The author can be an individual or an organization. If no author, start with the title.

  • Include a specific date if available.

  • The title of the page is in sentence case and italicized.

  • The site name is included after the title.

  • The URL is the final element.

Example:

Conference Presentations and Posters

Formula for a Conference Presentation:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of presentation. [Type of presentation]. Conference Name, City, State, Country.

Key Considerations:

  • The presentation title is in sentence case and italicized.

  • The type of presentation (e.g., [Paper presentation], [Poster session], [Symposium]) is in brackets.

Example:

  • Jansen, E. E., & Smith, L. K. (2019, August). The impact of social media on adolescent body image. [Paper presentation]. American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL, United States.

Navigating the Grey Areas: Tricky Scenarios and Troubleshooting

Even with the formulas, some sources don’t fit neatly into a category. Here’s how to handle them.

No Author? No Problem.

If a work has no individual or group author, start the entry with the title. Alphabetize the entry by the title, ignoring “A,” “An,” or “The.”

Example:

No Date? Use (n.d.).

If a source lacks a publication date, use the abbreviation “(n.d.)” for “no date.”

Example:

The Importance of the DOI

The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent, unique string of characters used to identify a document. It is the preferred way to link to online content because it is more stable than a URL, which can change. Always prioritize including a DOI when it’s available. The format is `https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx`. Do not include a “Retrieved from” before the DOI.

Example:

Handling URLs

If a source doesn’t have a DOI, include a stable URL. This is most common for websites and online reports. If the URL is excessively long and messy, it’s acceptable to use the homepage URL of the site if that’s where the document can be found.

Flawless From the Start: Actionable Steps for Success

Creating a perfect bibliography is not a one-time task; it’s a process. Here are some best practices to integrate into your workflow.

  1. Collect as you go: As you read and reference a source, immediately create the reference entry. Don’t wait until the end of the project. This prevents you from losing track of information.

  2. Use citation management software: Tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote can automatically generate and manage your references. While these tools are invaluable, always double-check their output against APA guidelines, as they can sometimes make mistakes.

  3. Cross-reference your work: Before submitting your paper, ensure every in-text citation has a corresponding entry in your reference list, and every reference list entry has at least one in-text citation. This is a common error that’s easy to fix with a final check.

  4. Proofread with a fresh eye: After you’ve finished your paper, read your reference list separately. Check for spelling, capitalization, italics, and punctuation errors. A fresh read-through can catch mistakes you missed during the initial creation.

Conclusion: The Power of a Perfect Bibliography

A correctly formatted bibliography is more than just an academic requirement; it’s a testament to your rigor, attention to detail, and respect for the scholarly conversation. In the field of psychology, where the integrity of research is paramount, a flawless reference list is a non-negotiable part of your work. By mastering the principles and specific formulas outlined in this guide, you equip yourself with the tools to create a definitive, professional, and scannable bibliography every time. This guide is your ultimate resource, transforming the daunting task of bibliography formatting into a precise, manageable, and ultimately rewarding part of your research process.