If you need to follow APA Style and are wondering if all entries in your reference list must be cited in the main text, you need to first understand the difference between a reference list and a bibliography.
APA Style reference list vs. bibliography
In general, the journals that follow APA Style use reference lists, not bibliographies. So, if you’re writing an APA research paper, you most likely need to create a reference list. Reference lists and bibliographies belong to different species.
A reference list has only the works cited in the text. In contrast, a bibliography comprises not only some or all the works cited in the text but also other works not mentioned in the text. These can be sources the author consulted in the preparation of the text, works recommended for further reading, or both. Also, bibliographies may contain notes (annotated bibliographies).
APA reference list entries explained
An APA reference list needs to include all the works cited in the text except classical works and personal communications.
APA Style says major classical works have parts numbered systematically across editions. So, these sources need no reference list entries.
You do not list personal communications cited in the text in APA reference lists. Personal communications can be emails, letters, phone conversations, and non-archived electronic messages. The reader cannot retrieve these sources, so listing them in your references would serve no purpose. If the electronic messages or other electronic sources (websites, podcasts, online maps, etc.) you cite in your text are archived, they need reference list entries.
The purpose of a reference list is to have recoverable data. This is why your references should include all the information the reader needs to identify and retrieve each source. List the name of the author, editor, or both; date of publication; title; publication details; and so on.
In summary, APA Style reference lists need to contain all the works cited in the text except personal communications and major classical works.
Do you have an APA Style research paper that needs editing? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
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- References: Citing a paper when the authors have the same last name
- Why does it take so long to write a journal paper?
- Should I edit my own research paper?
Last revised on 16 July 2022
