A list of references is where you itemize detailed information about the various research sources mentioned in your document. This list allows readers to learn more about your sources and use the information to validate your research. A list of references contains the author(s), year of publication, title, publication information, along with the link for each source. If your program uses another citation style other than APA, visit the SaskPolytech Citation Support webpage.

How do I set up my References list?

APA: Building a References List (7th edition) by Seneca Libraries, 2020. [Used under Fair Dealing]. Running time: 2:47

Different citation styles use various terms to introduce their list of references, for example, Bibliography or Works Cited. APA style uses the term References.

At the end of your reports, add a list of all the sources you have cited in alphabetical order according to the first word, usually the author’s last name. Each reference must provide thorough and complete documentation so that readers can identify the kind of source and retrieve it if they want to read it. It is important to use the correct conventions for each type of source because people familiar with academic conventions will expect a list where they can tell what kinds of sources you referenced based on the information included and the formatting used. If you use conventions incorrectly (such as failing to italicize or use quotation marks around titles to indicate what kind of source it is), you can confuse and mislead your readers.

If you use citation software (such as Zotero, Citefast, or Mendeley) to generate a list of references, be sure to review the references it generates for any errors. For more information on citation generators, ask the Library or Learning Services for help.

Reminder: These programs are not foolproof, and it is up to you to make sure your references conform to APA conventions. For example, sometimes the auto-generator will give a title in ALL CAPS or the author’s full first name. You will have to revise this. They usually do not give DOIs; you may have to add these. Figure 2.4.1 shows a sample APA References page.

Referencing Different Kinds of Sources–Examples

For detailed examples on creating References using APA style, visit the research guide for your program on the SaskPolytech Library site.

APA Style (2020) requires that the basic guideline for referencing online sources is to follow the standard citation for the print source given previously and add the electronic location (URL) or the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) at the end of the citation.  Your instructor may have told you whether to include the DOI or URL when both are available. If your instructor has not told you which to use, use the DOI.

APA references and  different formats

APA references usually have five parts: author information, the date, title(s), publication information and the location.  Or,

• Who is responsible for the work?
• When was the work published or released?
• What is the work called?
• Where can I retrieve the work? (publication and location information)

When making an APA reference, you first need to decide what the format of the source is. Examples are journal article, web page, technical report, book, book chapter, and images.  This may be difficult to decide, so ask the Library or Learning Services for help.

Once you know the format, you can use a template to describe your source. For example, the template for a web page is

Author(s). (Date). Title of the web page. Name of the Site. URL.

Example of a reference (Web Page)

We can use the template above to make the reference for the values, etc. page on the Technology Professionals Saskatchewan website.

The author is who is responsible for the work. The one responsible is the organization, Technology Professionals Saskatchewan. That is our author. Our reference starts

Technology Professionals Saskatchewan.

Like many web pages, there is no date for when the content was updated. We will use the abbreviation n.d. to show that there is no date. Our reference is now

Technology Professionals Saskatchewan. (n.d.).

The web page title is VISION, MISSION, VALUES, & GOALS, but we will change the formatting to fit the APA rules. Our reference is now

Technology Professionals Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Vision, mission, values, & goals.

The next step in the template is the Name of the Site, but that’s the same as our author’s name. According to the APA, you can skip the name of the site.

The last piece is the URL. Our reference is now

Technology Professionals Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Vision, mission, values, & goals. https://www.tpsk.ca/?page=67

The page, however, could change at any point, so according to the APA, you need to include the date you retrieved, or looked at, the information. Our final reference is

Technology Professionals Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Vision, mission, values, & goals. Retrieved May 15, 2026, from https://www.tpsk.ca/?page=67

References