How Would You Capitalize The Letters In A References List In APA Style?
Capitalize only the first word of the title, subtitle, and any proper nouns in your APA reference list.
Inconsistent capitalization in your APA reference list? Here’s the simple fix: only the first word of titles and subtitles gets capitalized, along with any proper nouns. Articles, conjunctions, and short prepositions stay lowercase.
Quick Fix: Run your reference list through these three rules and you’re done:
- Title case: Capitalize the first word, subtitle, and all proper nouns (e.g., “Jones, D. (2026).
- Sentence case: All other words in article titles are lowercase unless they’re proper nouns.
- Italics: Italicize book and journal titles; leave article titles plain and double‑spaced.
What’s Happening
APA Style follows a “down” style approach—meaning most words stay lowercase unless APA explicitly says otherwise. The exceptions? The first word of the title, the first word after a colon or dash, and any proper nouns (names, places, organizations).
(Honestly, this is the simplest way to think about it.) Since 2020, APA no longer requires quotation marks around article titles, and book/journal titles should always be italicized. Double-space the entire reference list and indent the first line of each entry by 0.5 inches.
How Do I Apply This Consistently?
- Open your reference list in your word processor.
- Select the title of each reference (Ctrl+A to select all, then deselect the ones you want to keep plain).
- Apply sentence case:
- Go to Home ribbon → Font group → Lowercase (Alt+H, F, L).
- Manually capitalize the first word and any proper nouns.
- Italicize book and journal titles: Highlight the title, then press Ctrl+I or use Home ribbon → Font group → Italic (Alt+H, I).
- Check colons and dashes: After any colon or dash, capitalize the next word (e.g., “Title: Subtitle”).
- Verify proper nouns: Scan each entry for names, locations, and organizations (e.g., “American Psychological Association”).
What If My References Still Look Wrong?
- Use Zotero’s APA export: Install the Zotero desktop app, add your sources, then export to APA 7th ed. Zotero auto-applies sentence case and italics.
- Paste into the APA template: Download the APA Style template (Word or Google Docs), clear its sample text, and paste your references.
- Run Grammarly’s APA checker: Enable the APA style guide in Grammarly (Business plan) to flag case and formatting issues.
How Can I Avoid This Problem Later?
| Action | How to Do It | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-format on paste | In Word, go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type and check “Define styles based on your formatting.” | Once |
| Use a consistent font | Set the reference list in Times New Roman 12 pt or Calibri 11 pt to match APA defaults. | Per document |
| Create a style guide snippet | Save a Word quick part with the APA case rules so you can reuse it in future papers. | Per project launch |
| Validate with the APA checker | Upload your paper to the APA Style website’s free checker to catch rogue capitalization before submission. | Before deadline |
Here’s the thing: APA capitalization rules haven’t changed since the 7th edition (2020). Stick to these guidelines, and your reference list will stay compliant and clean every time.
