According to Business Dictionary (n.d.), a hanging indent is a "style of paragraph composing in which the first line of a text is aligned with the left margin, and all other lines are indented (moved toward right) by an equal amount of space".
The APA reference style uses hanging indents in the references. The hanging indent is 5-7 spaces (1.27cm in a Word document).
For example:
​Roitman, J. L., & La Fontaine, T. P. (2012). The exercise professional’s guide to optimizing health: Strategies for
preventing and reducing chronic disease. Wolters Kluwer Health.
There are various ways to create a hanging indent for APA referencing.
Method 1:
1. Remove any formatting you might have put in - no tabs, no extra spaces, no line changes
2. Make sure all entries are left aligned
3. Select whole list of references
4. To create hanging indent on Windows PC = CTRL + T
5. To create hanging indent on Mac = Command + T
Method 2:
1. Remove any formatting you might have put in - no tabs, no extra spaces, no line changes
2. Make sure all entries are left aligned
3. Select whole list of references
4. Find 'Line spacing' on the 'Home' tab in your Word document
5. Click on it and select 'Line spacing options'
6. Under 'Special' select 'Hanging' and make sure that it is set to 1.27cm
View the APA Referencing Guide for more information. If you are having any difficulties, please contact us.
