In APA style, how is the publication date of a source formatted in the reference list?

In APA style, the publication date of a source is formatted in the reference list as the year only, placed in parentheses immediately after the author’s name. This format emphasizes the year of publication, which is crucial for indicating the timeliness and relevance of the source in academic writing. It's important to remember that when the source has a specific publication date beyond just the year—such as a month and day for online articles or newspapers—those details are included in the in-text citation or the full citation itself, but not in the reference entry's date format. Therefore, presenting only the year in parentheses keeps the reference list streamlined and focused on the most essential details.