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How to check your own references (APA): Check your own reference list

The library team get many requests to check reference lists.  As much as we love to help, we can't be doing extensive reference checks for everyone, and it does need to be your own work. So, we've created this guide to help you check your references.

Nau Mai, Haere Mai

Checking your own references

Below is a checklist that covers all the main things a reference list needs to have and covers the main mistakes people make. Other pages in this guide outline how a Librarian goes about checking a list and provide some practice activities for you.

Please note: While we don't really check full reference lists, we can help with tricky resources that you are unsure of how to reference and you can book a consult/meeting with us so we can help you learn the basics of referencing.

  • APA style requires in-text citations and a reference list entry.
  • It must be obvious to your reader where you have got your information from; in-text citations need to be used as required.
  • Every reference list entry must have a corresponding in-text citation and vice versa.
  • The in-text citation must match the reference list entry – your reader needs to be able to find the reference list entry based on the information provided in text.
  • In-text citations need name and a date; reference lists need all the information: WHO, WHEN, WHAT, WHERE.