How to Format References in APA for Dissertation

In APA (American Psychological Association) style, proper referencing is essential for giving credit to the authors whose work you have used in your dissertation. Here’s a guide on how to format references in APA style for your dissertation:

1. General APA Reference Guidelines

Font: Use Times New Roman font, 12-point size.
Spacing: The reference list should be double-spaced, with no extra space between entries.
Hanging Indentation: Each reference should have a hanging indent. This means that the first line of each reference is aligned to the left, and all subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches.
Order: References should be listed alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If you have multiple works by the same author, list them chronologically (oldest to newest).

2. Basic Format for Different Types of Sources in APA Style

Books:

Format:
Author(s). (Year). Title of the book (Edition, if applicable). Publisher.
Example:
Smith, J. A. (2019). Research methods in psychology (2nd ed.). Academic Press.

Journal Articles:

Format:
Author(s). (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, Volume number(Issue number), Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example:
Brown, L. M., & Green, H. K. (2018). The impact of social media on academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 50(4), 300-315. https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2018.03567

Edited Books:

Format:
Author(s). (Year). Title of the chapter. In Editor(s) (Ed(s).), Title of the book (pp. page range). Publisher.
Example:
Johnson, M. T. (2017). The role of education in personal development. In A. B. Taylor & C. D. Evans (Eds.), Essays in education (pp. 45-68). Oxford University Press.

Websites:

Format:
Author(s). (Year). Title of the webpage. Website name. URL
Example:
American Psychological Association. (2020). APA style guide. https://apastyle.apa.org/

3. In-Text Citations in APA

For one author: (Smith, 2019)
For two authors: (Smith & Brown, 2020)
For three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2021)
For direct quotes, include the page number: (Smith, 2019, p. 23).