How To Write References in Thesis APA Format

Writing references in APA (American Psychological Association) format for a thesis involves following a specific set of guidelines. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Format for Citations in the Text:

In the body of your thesis, cite the author's last name and the publication year for all in-text citations. For example: (Smith, 2018).

2. Reference Page Format:

Start a new page at the end of your thesis for the reference list.
Center the word "References" at the top of the page.

3. Order of References:

List your references in alphabetical order by the last name of the first author.
If there is more than one work by the same author, arrange them by the publication date, oldest to newest.

4. Basic Reference Format:

The general format for a reference entry is as follows:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.

5. Book Reference:

Format for a book:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.

6. Journal Article Reference:

Format for a journal article:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page range.

7. Webpage Reference:

Format for a webpage:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day of publication). Title of webpage. Name of Website. URL

8. Thesis or Dissertation Reference:

Format for a thesis or dissertation:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation. Name of Institution.

9. Examples:

Book: Smith, J. A. (2018). The Art of Writing. Academic Press.
Journal Article: Johnson, B. C. (2017). The Impact of Technology on Education. Journal of Educational Research, 45(2), 123-145.
Webpage: Brown, M. (2020, June 10). The Future of Artificial Intelligence. Tech Trends. https://www.techtrends.com/future-ai

10. Additional Tips:

Italicize the titles of books, journals, and theses.
Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and any proper nouns.
Use sentence case for the titles of articles, webpages, and chapters.

11. DOI or URL:

For journal articles, include the DOI if available. If a DOI is not available, include the URL of the journal's homepage.
For webpages, include the full URL.

12. Check APA Manual or Online Resources:

The rules might change, so always refer to the latest edition of the APA Publication Manual or the official APA website for any updates.

Remember to be consistent throughout your reference list. Following these guidelines will help you create a well-organized and accurate reference page for your thesis in APA format.

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