Reference List
The Basics
- All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented 0.5" inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation.
- Authors' names are inverted (last name[surname], first name[given name]); provide the last name and initials for all authors of a particular work for up to and including seven authors. If the work has more than seven authors, list the first six authors and then use ellipses after the sixth author's name. After the ellipses, list the last author's name of the work.
- Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work (or the first significant word if a group/organization is the author). If no author is provided, then the title takes the place of the author field; alphabetize by the first significant word of the title.
- For multiple articles by the same author, or a group of authors listed in the same order, list the entries in chronological order, from earliest to most recent.
Author Field
| Type of citation | Reference list example |
| One author | Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and social development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 7-10. |
| Two authors | Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994). Mood management across affective states: The hedonic contingency hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 1034-1048. |
| Three to seven authors | Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., Harlow, T., & Bach, J. S. (1993). There's more to self-esteem than whether it is high or low: The importance of stability of self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1190-1204. |
| More than seven authors | Miller, F. H., Choi, M. J., Angeli, L. L., Harland, A. A., Stamos, J. A., Thomas, S. T., . . . Rubin, L. H. (2009). Web site usability for the blind and low-vision user. Technical Communication, 57, 323-335. |
| Organization/Group author | National Cancer Institute. (2016). Taking part in cancer treatment research studies (Publication No. 16-6249). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/CRS.pdf |
| Unknown author | Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. |
Acceptable Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Book or publication part |
| ed. | edition |
| Rev. ed. | Revised edition |
| 2nd ed. | second edition |
| Ed. (Eds.) | Editor (Editors) |
| Trans. | Translator(s) |
| n.d. | no date |
| p. (pp.) | page (pages) |
| Vol. | Volume (e.g. Vol. 4) |
| Vols. | Volumes (e.g. Vol. 1-4) |
| No. | Number |
| Pt. | Part |
| Tech. Rep. | Technical Report |
| Suppl. | Supplement |