Citation Generator

A reference page contains the sources cited in the text. It appears at the end of a paper but before tables, figures, and appendices. It provides complete information of the sources cited in the text for the reader to explore further on the topic. There are three ways to provide full citations:

• Reference list as in APA
• Bibliography as in Chicago
• Works-cited list as in MLA.

Reference list vs works-cited list vs bibliography: Basic difference

There is no major difference between a reference list and a works-cited list. A reference list or a works-cited list provides sources for the ideas and claims mentioned in the text, whereas a bibliography provides sources to further explore the topic covered in the paper. An entry in the bibliography need not be cited in the text, but an entry in the reference list or works-cited list should have a corresponding in-text citation. Different disciplines use different formats to list the sources referred. Publications relating to arts use MLA style; those that deal with social sciences follow APA style; those that discuss humanities adapt Chicago style.

Reference list

A reference list follows APA style. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order of the first author’s surname. Each entry in the reference list should have a corresponding in-text citation in the text.

Works cited list

A works-cited list adapts MLA style. It includes works that you have directly quoted or paraphrased in your prose. On the works-cited page, the entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to the surname of the first author.

Bibliography

A bibliography prefers the Chicago style citation. In addition to including the sources that are cited in the text, you need to list all sources you referred to while performing your study. Besides a bibliography, the Chicago style uses footnotes or endnotes, which give more or less the same information as a bibliography. In the bibliography, all entries are arranged alphabetically.

Reference page in APA

Below are the rules and guidelines to be followed to format a reference page and arrange entries in the reference list.

Format of the page

Keep the following guidelines in mind when you want to format a reference page:

• Always begin the reference list on a new page after the main text of the paper. However, keep this before figures, tables, or appendices.
• The heading should be titled “References.” Write it in bold and center it at the top of the page.
• Follow double-line spacing throughout the reference list.
• Keep the first line of each entry flush left. Give a hanging indent of 0.5 inch for the second and subsequent lines.

Reference list entries

The entries in the reference list are arranged alphabetically. Follow the below guidelines to arrange the entries in the reference list:

• One-author entries are arranged by publication year: entries with no dates first, then the publications in chronological order, and finally “in press” entries.
• If the surnames of the first authors of multiple entries are the same, list the one-author entries first even if the multiple-author entries have earlier dates.
• Multiple-author entries are arranged by publication year: entries with no dates first, then the publications in chronological order, and finally “in press” entries.
• Multiple-author entries with the same first author and different subsequent authors are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the second author. If the second authors’ names are the same, then arrange them by the surnames of the third author and so on.
• Arrange works by first authors with the same surname and different initials alphabetically by first initial(s), without considering the number of authors.

Reference page example in APA format

An example of a reference page in APA format is given below:

References

Bernstein, B., & Solomon, J. (1999). Pedagogy, identity and the construction of a theory of symbolic control: Basil Bernstein questioned by Joseph Solomon. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20(2), 265–279. https://doi:10.1080/01425699995443

Flores, N., & Rosa, J. (2015). Undoing appropriateness: Raciolinguistic ideologies and language diversity in education. Harvard Educational Review, 85(2), 149–172. https://doi:10.17763/0017-8055.85.2.149

Flores, N., & Rosa, J. (2019). Bringing race into second language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal, 103, 145–151. https://doi:10.1111/modl.12523

Foucault, M. (1963). The birth of the clinic: An archaeology of medical perception. Vintage Books.

Foucault, M. (1970). The order of discourse: Inaugural lecture at the Collège de France. In R. Young (Ed.), Untying the text: A post-structuralist reader (pp. 51–78). Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Foucault, M. (1976a). Society must be defended: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975–1976. Picador.

Foucault, M. (1976b). The will to knowledge: The history of sexuality. Penguin.

McQuillan, S. (2021, June 2). PSYCOM.net. https://www.psycom.net/food-addiction-symptoms-treatment/

Peck, J., & Tickell, A. (2006). Conceptualising neoliberalism, thinking Thatcherism. In H. Leitner, J. Peck, & E. Sheppard (Eds.), Contesting neoliberalism: Urban frontiers (pp. 26–50). Guilford Press.

Spitka, T. (2017). Mediating among mediators: Building a consensus in multilateral interventions. International Negotiation, 23, 1–30.

Spitka, T. (2018). Children on the front lines: Responsibility to protect in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Global Responsibility to Protect, 11(1), 1–12.

Stanford. (2011, February 2). 2. Behavioral evolution. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Oa4Lp5fLE