Creating a reference list

In order to cite sources you have used in your text you need to have some basic information about them. 

What information do you need in a reference?

The main function of the references is to make it possible for the reader to find the original sources. Some elements are essential for this, and these are included in references regardless of reference style: 

• Title – the title of the article, book, book chapter, web page, etc.
• Author – the person(s), organization or company that wrote the source.
• Publication year – when the source was published.
• Information about where it was published – this information varies depending on what kind of source you are citing.
  • Book: publisher and sometimes volume.
  • Journal article: title of journal, volume, number, pages.
  • Web page: when the page was last updated, when it was cited (by you), URL.
  • Report: publisher, report series (if it is part of such a series), volume and number (in some cases).

The order and the format of these elements vary in different reference styles, and some reference styles also include additional elements.

Where do you find the information you need for the references?

In most cases you would find the reference information in the source or in close connection to the source. If you found an electronic source in the library search tool Primo, you will find information about the publisher either in the catalogue record or on the publisher's page. It might look a little bit different depending on the publishers' web site. For printed books, you can often find the information you need in the first pages of the book.

For some sources it can be harder to find this information. Sometimes you will find contradictory information about for example the publisher. Remember that the main function of references is that the reader should be able to find the sources so the details are not always that important.

Finding the necessary information to include in a reference can be challenging at times. If you're unsure about how to locate the required details, watch this video where we walk you through several examples. 

View video with transcript in KTH Play