Does the Reference List Count Toward Your Word Count?

There is no universal rule for whether your reference list, in-text citations, or footnotes count toward your word limit. The answer depends on your assignment brief, your module handbook, and sometimes your degree committee. What follows is what university libraries and style manuals actually say, and where they disagree with each other.

Among the UK, Australian, and New Zealand university library pages we reviewed, a pattern does show up: reference lists are often excluded, in-text citations are often included, and footnotes are the most contested. But every one of those library pages qualifies itself with some version of "check with your course." We are not turning that pattern into a rule, because the exceptions cut in both directions.

The guidance that comes up repeatedly on the library pages we read is that the reference list or bibliography does not count, while in-text citations do. This is an observation about those specific pages, not a claim about universities in general. Each one comes hedged with a clause telling you to confirm with your own course. UWE Bristol's library, on its "Introduction to referencing" page (Word count section), for coursework assignments:

References, bibliographies and footnotes containing references are not included in the word count, unless it is clearly stated in the coursework instructions that the module is an exception to this rule.

The same page also says that in-text citations and quotations are included. Note the hedge: "unless it is clearly stated in the coursework instructions that the module is an exception." A single module can flip that default. UWE is not alone in wrapping the rule in a caveat. Leeds Beckett University's library FAQ states that the bibliography or reference list is "usually not included," then immediately follows with this:

Accepted practice varies across subjects: take careful note of advice given in your module handbook, or by your lecturers, on what is expected.

The University of Wolverhampton's FAQ says something similar: reference lists and appendices are typically not counted, but you should always check with your tutor for specific preferences. James Cook University's library FAQ puts it bluntly: the final decision rests with your college or lecturer, so check your Subject Outline and ask them directly what to include.

The exceptions come from the same kind of official pages, and some of them apply to a whole degree programme rather than a single module. Based on what we read, here is where the common pattern breaks:

• Cambridge, Economics (PhD thesis): The word limit explicitly covers "tables, footnotes, bibliography and appendices." The reference list counts. Cambridge Sociology, in the same university, does the opposite for its PhD: the word limit excludes the reference list and bibliography but includes footnotes and endnotes. Same university, different degree committee, opposite rule.
• Avondale University, Australia (library APA guide): In-text references are excluded, along with the reference list, appendix, cover page, and abstract. This was the only university page we found that explicitly says in-text citations do not count.
• University of Auckland, Faculty of Law (LLB written assignments): Footnotes are counted. The page defines a footnote using the OED definition and lists "Bibliography" among items that do not count, but footnotes, where law citations typically live, are in.
• APA default: APA's own guidance counts references by default. Details in the next section.

These are our inferences from the sources we reviewed, not a survey of all universities. The point is simpler than that: if someone at another university tells you references don't count, that may be true for them and false for you, even within the same university.

APA's Guide to What's New in the Publication Manual, 7th Edition, §2.25 (Paper Length), sets out a default that includes references:

This section includes a recommendation to use word count rather than page count to determine paper length when possible. When using word count, count all words in text, references, table bodies, table and figure notes, and appendices.

That is APA's default, but APA's Publication Manual, 7th Edition: Student Paper Checklist tells you to defer to your assignment guidelines first:

Paper Length (Section 2.25): Follow the assignment guidelines. If not instructed otherwise, use the word-count function of your word-processing program to determine paper length, counting every word in the paper—but do not count words in figure images.

So APA's position is: if your assignment says nothing different, count everything, including references. Your assignment guidelines override the default. Chicago's Q&A, an editorial board answer on the Chicago Manual of Style Online site based on the 17th edition, says something in the same spirit. Asked about source citations in footnotes, it says most publishers would include them, then adds: "If you’re a student, your instructor may have a preference. Otherwise, count everything." One more correction. You may have seen the sentence "Works-cited-list entries do not count toward the word limit" cited as an MLA formatting rule. That sentence does exist, on the MLA Style Center's page for a student essay submission call called "Writing with MLA Style." It is that contest's own rule, not MLA's general guidance for coursework. We checked MLA's formatting pages and Works Cited quick guide; neither mentions word count.

Before you assume the reference list is safe to exclude from your count, work through this list:

• Read your assignment brief and module handbook first. This is the document that overrides every default: library pages, style guides, APA's own rule. If it states what counts and what doesn't, that is your answer.
• Ask your lecturer or tutor directly. The library pages quoted above all tell you to do this. If the brief is silent, asking is not extra caution. It is the step the sources themselves recommend.
• If your assignment requires APA and says nothing else: APA's default is to count references. Do not assume they are excluded just because some university library pages say so.
• If you use footnote-based citations (law, history): Ask specifically about footnotes. This is where the gap is widest. Auckland Law counts them. Cambridge Geography's guidance says footnotes are not included in the word limit where they are a necessary part of the referencing system used. You cannot guess which side your course is on.

If you are over the word limit and need to figure out what to cut, see how to shorten an essay to a word limit. If you have noticed that Word, Google Docs, and Turnitin give you different counts for the same file, why word count differs across Word, Google Docs, and Turnitin explains why.