Basic Information:
* Author(s): List the last name and first initial of each author, separated by commas. If there are more than 20 authors, you can list the first 19 followed by "et al."
* Year of Publication: Include the year the work was published in parentheses.
* Title of Work: Include the full title of the article, book, website, etc. For articles, capitalize the first letter of the title and all proper nouns. For books, capitalize all major words.
* Journal/Book Title: If the work is from a journal or book, include the full title in italics.
* Volume and Issue Number (for journals): If applicable, include the volume and issue number of the journal, separated by a colon.
* Page Numbers (for articles): Include the page range of the article.
* Publisher (for books): Include the name of the publisher.
* DOI (for online sources): If available, include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which is a unique code for a specific online resource.
Additional Information (may be necessary depending on the citation style):
* Edition: For books, include the edition number if it's not the first edition.
* Location of Publisher: For books, include the city and state of the publisher.
* Retrieved From: For online resources, include the full URL where you accessed the information.
* Date Accessed: For online resources, include the date you accessed the information.
Formatting:
* Citation Style: Make sure your references are formatted according to the specific citation style you're using (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
* Spacing: Follow the spacing requirements of your citation style.
* Alphabetical Order: Generally, references are listed alphabetically by the first author's last name.
Example:
APA Style:
Smith, J. A. (2022). The impact of social media on mental health. *Journal of Social Psychology*, 120(1), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01216-w
MLA Style:
Smith, John A. "The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health." *Journal of Social Psychology*, vol. 120, no. 1, 2022, pp. 45-58.
Note: This is just a general guide. Always double-check the specific formatting guidelines for your citation style.