Hanging indent

A paragraph format in which the first line starts at the left margin and every later line is indented. Reference lists in APA and MLA use it.

In a hanging indent the first line of each entry sits at the left margin, and any further lines of that entry are pushed in. It makes it easy to see where one reference ends and the next begins.

Moreno, L. (2021). How cities remember: Memory and place in urban planning (2nd ed.). Harbor Street Press.

⟶ Each line after the first starts half an inch from the margin.

Both APA and MLA ask for a half-inch hanging indent on every entry in the reference list. MLA recommends it so readers can see where each entry begins.

Set it with your word processor, not the space bar or the Tab key. In Word, select the list, open Paragraph, and under Indentation choose Special, then Hanging, with 0.5 inches. Other programs have the same setting under paragraph formatting.

PaperCitation gives you the text of each citation. The hanging indent is a layout setting, so you apply it after you paste the list into your document.