While the reference page lists the sources used in your research, it also ensures transparency, academic integrity, and proper credit to authors.
Ordering references can be confusing, especially when dealing with multiple authors, unknown authors, identical publication years, or special punctuation. The APA 7th Edition provides clear rules for alphabetising and arranging your reference page.
In APA style, the reference list must be alphabetised by the first element of each reference entry, which is usually the author’s last name. When no author is present, the title moves into the author position.
Basic Rule:
Alphabetise based on the first author’s surname, not initials.
Example:
Michael, J. Z.
precedes
Thomas, Z. B.
This is the simplest scenario. When it comes to more complex situations, this is not enough. However, APA also provides detailed guidelines for more complex ordering situations.
Here are the top methods that can significantly help you order your reference page:
If all the work comes from the one author, they are to be listed in chronological order, starting with the earliest source.
The works without any dates (n.d.) come before those with dates, from earliest to latest. The last works are those that are “in press“. This significantly allows readers to easily track the scholarly timeline of an author.
EXAMPLE
Varun, J. M. (n.d.)
Varun, J. M. (2019)
Varun, J. M. (In press)
When the first author is the same, and the next authors differ, sort the references by the second author’s surname. If the 2nd author is also the same, then the references will be sorted according to the 3rd author, and so on.
This rule ensures that all entries with the same primary author remain grouped together logically.
EXAMPLE
Teager, P
Teager, P., & Hunter, S.
Teager, P., Hunter, S., & Robert, X.
When authors share the same surname but are completely different individuals, the order will be based on their initials. Even though the last names match, the first initial determines the order.
EXAMPLE
Thomas Z.
comes before
Thomas J.
If the author of a work is unknown, the title of the source is moved to the author slot. In this case, the references are ordered alphabetically by title.
The words “A“, “An” and “The” at the beginning of the title should be ignored. Alphabetise based on the first significant word. If the title begins with a digit, it is ordered alphabetically as if it were written out. This ensures consistency with other alphabetised entries.
EXAMPLES
When an author publishes multiple works in the same year, APA requires assigning lower-case letters after the year of publication. This letter appears both in the text and the bibliography, ensuring each source is distinguishable.
EXAMPLE
Brown, A. (2019a)
Brown, A. (2019b)
When comparing two authors whose names share identical letters at the beginning, the shorter name comes first.
EXAMPLE
Kate, H. A.(2019a)
precedes
Katesnow A. M.
This is because “Kate” ends earlier alphabetically than “Katesnow”.
APA ignores most punctuation in alphabetical ordering, including:
They are treated as though they do not exist.
EXAMPLE
Concnor, S.
precedes
Betman, T.
Even if Concnor included punctuation (Concnor-Smith), the order would remain unchanged.
Suffixes such as Jr., Sr. or I, II, III appear after the last name and initials, but do not affect alphabetical order. Instead, ordering is based on the chronology of the authors’ work.
EXAMPLE
Andrew, M. T., I
precedes
Andrew, M. T., II.
This indicates two different individuals within a family line, ordered by generational suffix.
When organisations or groups are listed as authors, alphabetise them by the first significant word of the group name.
EXAMPLES
American Psychological Association
British Medical Journal Group
World Health Organisation
Omit articles like “The” when alphabetising group author names.
Titles beginning with numbers are alphabetised as though the numbers are written out in words. This prevents numerical entries from appearing before all alphabetical entries.
EXAMPLES
COMMON REFERENCE ORDERING MISTAKES TO AVOID
Avoiding these mistakes ensures a polished and accurate reference page.
Lists can be alphabetised in popular word processing programs such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, but they do not follow APA Style literacy standards. Manual review is required for accuracy.
Move the title to the author position and alphabetise by the first significant word, ignoring A, An, and The.
Assign lowercase letters after the year, such as 2018a and 2018b. Use these labels in both in-text citations and the reference list.
Hyphens are ignored in ordering. Alphabetise the last name as one continuous word.
Group authors are alphabetised by the first significant word of the organisation name, such as the World Health Organisation under W.
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