What is a reference list?
Your reference list must include all the information the reader needs to find the sources you have used in your assignment.
Each reference list entry must have a matching in-text citation.
How to format your reference list
Start on a new page to separate it from the rest of your essay or assignment.
The heading References is centred in bold at the top of the page.
Arrange your list alphabetically by author.
Each source starts on a new line.
The first line is flush to the left margin of the page, with subsequent lines indented. (use "hanging indents" or the paragraph indents key to 5-7 spaces or 1.25 cm)
Use double spacing.
Do not use acronyms, spell out the organisation names in full.
For a source that has up to and including 20 authors, include all the names and use the ampersand (&) between the last 2 names in the list. For resources with 21 or more authors, include the first 19 names, then use an ellipsis (…) before the final author’s name.
Each type of source has specific rules for italics and punctuation, see examples in the guide.
TIP: To indent your reference list entries, highlight your reference list and hit the Ctrl T keys.
What to do if you have multiple entries from the same author?
Publications with only the year included go first.
If both the author and date are the same, then arrange alphabetically by title.
Include an a, b etc after the year to help identify the matching in-text citation.
Smith, A. & Hart, C. (2022a).
Smith, A. & Hart, C. (2022b, January 13).
Smith, A. & Hart, C. (2022c, March 2).
Smith, A. (2022a). Albatross. Penguin Books.
Smith, A. (2022b). Bat. Penguin Books.
Sample reference list
Note: The sample reference list below is only in single line spacing to conserve room on this page for display.
References
Althaus, C., Bridgman, P., & Davis, G. (2007). A policy cycle: Australian policy handbook. Allen & Unwin.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2008). Childhood education and care (No. 4402.0). https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4402.0Main+Features1June%202008%20(Reissue%29
Ball, S., Maguire, M., Braun, A., & Hoskins, K. (2011). Policy subjects and policy actors in schools: Some necessary but insufficient analyses. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 32(4), 611-624.
Bergman, E., Malm, D., Bertero, C., & Karlsson, J. (2011). Does one’s sense of coherence change after an acute myocardial infarction? A two-year longitudinal study in Sweden. Nursing & Health Sciences, 13(2), 156-163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-2018.2011.00592.x
Burns, N., & Grove, S. (2007). Understanding nursing research: Building an evidence-based practice. Saunders Elsevier.
Sievers, W. (1966). Monash University [Photograph]. http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/15565401?q=monash&c=picture&versionId=18284000