APA Style Guide

Whenever you cite materials, whether that citation be in a paper or a slideshow or a video, you need to have a page that lists your citations all in one location. Think of the in-text citations as the breadcrumbs that lead you to the reference list. The reference list will have more complete citation information so others can find the materials you utilized.

APA Reference List General Rules

• The References page should be a separate page
• Center the word References in bold at the top of the page
• List the citations for all the sources that you cited within the body of your research paper (the only exception being a personal communication, which does not need a reference page entry)
• Arrange the citations in alphabetical order by author's last name
• Use double-spacing for the whole list
• Use a hanging indent for each citation (all but the first line of each citation should be indented) 

An annotated bibliography is a method of collecting and/or presenting research, wherein citations for resources (formatted according to APA standards) are presented and then each entry is followed by a short description of the resource, known as an annotation. The content of the annotation varies, based on factors like the focus of the research and the assigning instructor's preferences. For guidelines on the content of annotations, be sure to consult your instructor.

Formatting of annotated bibliographies is standardized by APA 7th edition guidelines.

APA Annotated Bibliography Guidelines Summarized

• An annotated bibliography follows the same basic format as a reference page (hanging indents for citations, double-spaced type, no extra spaces between entries...).
• Entries should be presented in alphabetical order by author's last name.
• Each annotation should be a new paragraph just below it's reference entry
• Indent the entire annotation 0.5 inches from the left margin (same as a block quotation)
• If the annotation includes multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs an additional 0.5 inches.
• In general, it is not necessary to cite the work being annotated in the annotations, because the origin of the information is clear through context. However, do include in-text citations if you refer to multiple works within an annotation to clarify the source.

When a citation lists more than one author

Alphabetize by the name of the first author listed.
 

If the citation doesn't list an author

Move the title of the article, book, or other source before the date and alphabetize by the first word in the title. Ignore words like 'a', 'an', or 'the'.

Example

If multiple citations have the same author

Arrange the entries by year of publication with the earliest first.

Example