Reference List: Guidelines
The reference list is a list of all of the sources you have cited in your work. Each source is formatted as an end-text reference, and provides enough information for the reader to identify and locate the source for themselves. For how to format an end-text reference entry see our page on End-text elements.
Formatting:
- The reference list starts on a new page.
- The heading "References" is centred at the top of the page in bold.
- Use a hanging indent for your references. This means that each entry begins at the left-hand margin of the page, with every line after the first line indented by 1.27cm.
- View step-by-step instructions for creating a hanging indent in MS Word here: Create a hanging indent.
- You can also use the keyboard shortcut Control-T (Windows) or Command-T (Mac).
- Make sure your references are left-justified for correct spacing between words.
- The reference list is double-spaced.
- Do not leave a blank line between references.
Note that this is an APA document spacing requirement. However, if your work is spaced differently (e.g. single spaced) follow that spacing for your reference list.
Every in-text citation (other than personal communication) should correspond to an end-text reference found in the reference list, and every reference list entry should have at least one in-text citation in your work.
Reference List Order
The entries in the reference list are presented in alphabetical order according to the family name of the primary author, editor, or title.
- Keep the authors in the order they appear in the source.
- Works with group authors are included in alphabetical order by the first primary word (excluding "a," "an," and "the").
The Aerospace Corporation. (n.d.). About us. https://aerospace.org/about
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022, June 28). Education and training: Census. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-training-census/2021
Larrañaga, M. D., Lewis, R. J., Sr., Lewis, R. A., & Hawley, G. G. (2016). Hawley's condensed chemical dictionary (16th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119312468
Patel, P. (2017, February). Bots in your bloodstream. Scientific American, 316(2), 15. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0217-15
Ryan, M. J. (2005). Evolution of behaviour. In J. Bolhuis & L. Giraldeau (Eds.), The behaviour of animals (pp. 294-314). Blackwell Publishing.
The Sculptors Society. (n.d.). Schools. https://sculptorssociety.com/education/schools/
Order priority
The general rule for sorting references are to put them in in alphanumerical order reading left to right. Below are some cases that you may need to consider when sorting your reference list:
For works that start with authors who have the same family name or partial name as the primary author:
- If the family name is identical, order them by first initial(s).
- If they share the same initials order them by the next author.
- If a name has additional letters to another list the shortest one first (e.g. Williams before Williamson).
- Any work with no additional authors will be listed first.
Williams, H. P., & Peters, F. (2018). On the other side of the table: Lessons learned from negotiations. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 21(4), 86–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555458918762467
Williams, H. P., Shoup, K., Diffenbaugh, M., & Brady, K. (2022). Competency-based education in the state policy arena: Comparative case study of two neighboring states. Policy Futures in Education, 20(2), 166–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103211031342
Williams, L., Martinasek, M., Carone, K., & Sanders, S. (2020). High school students' perceptions of traditional and online health and physical education courses. Journal of School Health, 90(3), 234–244. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12865
Williamson, B. (2016). Digital education governance: data visualization, predictive analytics, and ‘real-time’ policy instruments. Journal of Education Policy, 31(2), 123–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2015.1035758
Williamson, B., Macgilchrist, F., & Potter, J. (2023). Re-examining AI, automation and datafication in education. Learning, Media and Technology, 48(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2023.2167830
Williamson, G. R., Plowright, H., Kane, A., Bunce, J., Clarke, D., & Jamison, C. (2020). Collaborative learning in practice: A systematic review and narrative synthesis of the research evidence in nurse education. Nurse Education in Practice, 43, Article 102706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102706
For two entries with the same first author, or the same (multiple) authors in the same order:
- Order them chronologically by year of publication, with the earliest entry first.
- An entry with just the year comes before an entry that includes the month and date.
- Works with no date come first; works "in press" (accepted by a publisher but not yet published) come last.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (n.d.). Compare data services. https://www.abs.gov.au/about/data-services/compare-data-services
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2020). 2021 Census topics and data release plan. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/research/2021-census-topics-and-data-release-plan
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022, June 28). Education and training: Census. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-training-census/2021
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (in press). Household income by council. https://www.abs.gov.au/...
If the author and date are the same, order entries alphabetically by title (excluding "a," "an," and "the").
If the author and year are the same, add a lowercase letter after the year to distinguish them in their in-text citations. The order of the letters is the order of the references in the reference list.
Caro, J. (2019a). Accidental feminists. Melbourne University Press.
Caro, J. (2019b, June 19). Nothing left to prove in fun and moving 'final' show [Review of The Monkees concert]. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/19/the-monkees-review-nothing-left-to-prove-in-fun-and-moving-final-show
Caro, J. (2019c, August 29). The greatest gifts I received from my father. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/the-greatest-gifts-i-received-from-my-father-20190829-p52lzo.html