Adding a hanging indent to a references page in Word, a tutorial in one minute. A hanging indent formats your references so only the first line of text aligns with the left margin. The following lines of each reference are indented. The reference page on the left is incorrect whereas the page on the right uses the hanging indent and is how your finished page should look in APA format. To add a hanging indent navigate to your references page. Highlight the full text, right-click your mouse and select Paragraph. On the indentation special menu, click the drop-down to select hanging. This will automatically fill in .5 inches. Click OK. This is the proper formatting for a reference page in APA. You can also do this by navigating to Paragraph and expanding the window. Questions? Need help? Just ask us. We're here to help.