referencelista

A referencelista, or reference list, is a structured compilation at the end of a scholarly document that lists sources cited in the text. Its purpose is to give readers enough information to locate each source and to credit the original authors for ideas, data, and quotations. The list appears after the main text, often following appendices or the conclusion.

A referencelista typically contains items with key bibliographic elements such as author(s), year of publication, title of the work, and publication details. For articles, this includes the journal title, volume, issue, and page numbers; for books, the publisher and edition may be listed; for online sources, a URL or DOI is included. The exact format and punctuation are dictated by a chosen citation style, for example APA, MLA, Chicago, or Vancouver. Items are usually arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author, though some styles group by type or use numeric ordering.

A common distinction is between a referencelista and a bibliography. A referencelista contains only sources cited in the text, while a bibliography may include sources consulted but not cited. Reference management tools can generate and format referencelistor lists in different styles.

In practice, a referencelista supports academic integrity, enables verification of claims, and helps readers locate sources. Terminology varies by language and region; in some contexts it may be called a references section, works cited, or källförteckning, but the core function remains the same.