Research path: cite your sources
- What is a citation?
- Why cite?
- What do you need to cite?
- How do you cite?
- How do you cite internet sources?
- How do you cite if you use a library database?
- How do you cite in specific fields?
- Bibliographies, footnotes, endnotes and references
- What is an annotated bibliography?
What is a citation?
A citation identifies for the reader the source of the origin for an idea, information or image which is referred to in a work. A basic citation includes the author, title and publication information for the source. Other elements are added to help the reader find the original work. Examples:
Book citation
Barreca, Regina. They used to call me Snow White…but I drifted: women's strategic use of humor. New York: Viking, 1991.
Article citation
Kuska, B. “A tale of too witty? Using whimsy to name fringe genes. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1998 Oct; 89 (19): 1396-7
Why cite? | back to top
- Give credit to your sources. Be fair to other authors. Ideas or information which you take from another author or source should be acknowledged through your citations.
- Give yourself credit. When you cite your sources, you show evidence of your own research.
- Give your reader the opportunity to build on your work. Readers may want to follow-up on some of your source material. A good citation will enable a reader to find this material more easily.
- It is part of the St. Norbert College Honor Code
Avoiding plagiarism:
What do you need to cite? | back to top
- Quoting. Are you quoting two or more consecutive words from a source? Then the original source should be cited and the words or phrase placed in quotes. Use quotes when you want to convey to the reader the language of the original text.
- Paraphrasing. If an idea or information comes from another source, even if you put it in your own words, you still should credit the source. Be careful when you paraphrase to reflect your own writing style, not the original author.
- General knowledge vs. unfamiliar knowledge. You do not need to cite material which is accepted common knowledge. You would not have to cite the fact that Big Ben was in London, but you would have to cite little known facts about Big Ben, e.g. dimensions of the tower, who it was named after. If in doubt whether your information is common knowledge or not, cite it.
- Formats. When we think of citing sources, we usually think of books and articles. However, if you use material from web sites, films, music, laboratory manuals, lecture notes, special application software, graphs, tables, etc., you will also need to cite these sources.
For more on when to cite:
How do you cite? | back to top
Different fields have different conventions for citing sources. Always check with your instructor to see what citation format is appropriate for your course. The general handbook for all formats is the Wadsworth Handbook (available at the reserve desk).
The most common citation formats are: APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association) and the Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian. Some of the other formatting conventions are listed after the brief descriptions for these three styles. Whichever style you choose, be sure to be consistent and include all of the information you need to document your source.
In brief in text references (see below for more detailed references):
APA
Author-date
Barreca (1991) states that “For women, humor occupies a different space emotionally than it does for men.
“For women, humor occupies a different space emotionally than it does for men” (Barreca, 1991).
MLA
Author-page
Barreca states that “For women, humor occupies a different space emotionally than it does for men” (11).
“For women, humor occupies a different space emotionally than it does for men” (Barreca11)
Chicago/Turabian
Footnote entry
1Regina Barreca, They Used to Call Me Snow White…But I Drifted: women's strategic use of humor. (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1991),11.
For more examples:
Citing a book and an article in the references section:
APA. American Psychological Association.
Used in nursing, social sciences, education, psychology.
A citation style which uses parentheses in text (author-date) instead of footnotes or endnotes, this format is popular in those disciplines where the date of the work, its currency, is significant to the reading of the text. Sources are listed at the end of the text in a section called references.
References (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Books
Kidner, J. (1972). The Kidner Report: a statistical look at bureaucracy at the paper clip and stapler level. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books.
Articles
Heydt-Stevenson, J. (2000). “Slipping into the Ha-Ha”: bawdy humor and body politics in Jane Austen’s novels. Nineteenth-Century Literature, 55 (3), 309-340.
For more information:
Citing a book and an article in a works cited section:
MLA. Modern Language Association.
Used in the humanities.
MLA uses the author’s last name and a page reference parenthetically placed in the text rather than footnotes or endnotes. Unlike APA, which is used in subject areas where the timeliness of the information is often critical, disciplines which use MLA can often cite works which are not current. Sources listed at the end of the text are in a section called works cited.
Works cited (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Books
Kidner, John. The Kidner Report: a Satirical Look at Bureaucracy at the Paper Clip and Stapler Level. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1971.
Articles
Heydt-Stevenson, Jill. “Slipping into the Ha-Ha”: Bawdy Humor and Body Politics in Jane Austen’s Novels.” Nineteenth Century Literature 55 (3) (2000): 309-340.
For more information:
- MLA Style
- MLA Handbook for writers of research papers. 6th ed. 2003 Reference 808.02 G35m
- OWL at Purdue University: Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Format
Citing a book and an article in a bibliography:
Chicago Manual of Style.
Used in the professional world of publishing for all subject areas.
Two styles of documentation are allowed in this style, but footnotes or endnotes with a bibliography is more common. The other option is parenthetical reference/reference list similar to APA.
If using footnotes/endnotes, the first time a source is used as an endnote, it is given a full citation. Subsequent citations are abbreviated. The endnote cites the author’s name first name and then family name. Notes at the bottom of page are footnotes, at the end of the text are called endnotes. In the bibliography, the author’s family name is first.
Book:
Bibliography (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Kidner, John. The Kidner Report: a Satirical Look at Bureaucracy at the Paper Clip and Stapler Level. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1972.
Note
1John Kidner. The Kidner Report: a Satirical Look at Bureaucracy at the Paper Clip and Stapler Level. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1972.
Article:
Bibliography (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Heydt-Stevenson, Jill. “Slipping into the Ha-Ha”: Bawdy Humor and Body Politics in Jane Austen’s Novels,” Nineteenth-Century Literature 55, Issue 3 (2000): 309-340.
Note
1Jill Heydt-Stevenson, “Slipping into the Ha-Ha”:Bawdy Humor and Body Politics in Jane Austen’s Novels,” Nineteenth-Century Literature 55, Issue 3 (2000): 314.
For more information:
Citing a book and an article in a bibliography:
Turabian: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations.
Based on the Chicago Manual of Style, this style is recommended for student papers in many subject areas. Used in history and theology. Like Chicago, the first time a source is used as an endnote, it is given a full citation. Subsequent citations are abbreviated. The endnote cites the author’s name first name and then family name. Notes at the bottom of page are footnotes, at the end of the text are called endnotes. In the bibliography, where all of the sources are listed, the author’s family name is first. Remember: in this style, indent the second line of the citation 5 spaces.
Generally considered notes style of citation where footnotes are used at the end of the page, but this style also has provisions for author-date documentation with reference.
Book:
Bibliography (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Kidner, John. The Kidner Report: a Satirical Look at Bureaucracy at the Paper Clip and Stapler Level. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1972.
Footnote
1John Kidner. The Kidner Report: a Satirical Look at Bureaucracy at the Paper Clip and Stapler Level. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1972.
Article:
Bibliography (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Heydt-Stevenson, Jill. “Slipping into the Ha-Ha”: Bawdy Humor and Body Politics in Jane Austen’s Novels,” Nineteenth-Century Literature 55, Issue 3 (2000): 309-340.
First note:
1Jill Heydt-Stevenson, “"Slipping into the Ha-Ha" :Bawdy Humor and Body Politics in Jane Austen’s Novels,” Nineteenth-Century Literature 55, Issue 3 (2000): 314.
For more information:
How do you cite an internet source? | back to top
APA (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Author. (Publication date). Title. Retrieval statement: complete URL
Avery, S., & Masciadrelli, J. (2003, April) Peep Research: A study of small fluffy creatures and library usage. April 2003. Retrieved June 21, 2003 from http://www.millikin.edu/staley/fluff/peep_research.html
For more information:
MLA (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Author / Editor. “Title of Homepage.” Publication date, Publisher. Date of access <URL>
Avery, Susan and Jennifer Masciadrelli. Peep Research: A study of small fluffy creatures and library usage. April 2003. Office of Fluffy Research, Staley Library, Millikin University. June 2003. http://www.millikin.edu/staley/fluff/peep_research.html
For more information:
Chicago (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Author's Last Name, First Name < author's internet address, if appropriate >. "Title of Work" < internet address >. Date, if available
Avery, Susan and Jennifer Masciadrelli. Peep Research: A study of small fluffy creatures and library usage. <http://www.millikin.edu/staley/fluff/peep_research.html> 20 June 2003
Turabian (second and subsequent lines are indented)
Author, Title in Italics [format and medium] (Place: Publisher, publication date, access date ); available from http:// followed by URL; Internet.
Avery, Susan and Jennifer Masciadrelli. [on-line] Peep Research: A study of small fluffy creatures and library usage. (Decatur, Il: Office of Fluffy Research, Staley Library, Millikin University, April 2003, accessed 20 June 2003. <http://www.millikin.edu/staley/fluff/peep_research.html>. Internet
For more information:
How do you cite a source from a library database? | back to top
APA
Author. (Publication date). Article title. Magazine title, [page numbers if available]. Retrieved [month, day, year] from [source] database (name of database)
Banoff, S. I. (1994, June). Turkeys and chickens fear IRS audits. Journal of Taxation, p.380. Retrieved June 20, 2003. [online] from Proquest Research Library
Note: if your citation is from an EBSCOhost database, Ebsco is in upper case and host is in lower case.
For more information:
MLA
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Work.” Title of source and publication date: page numbers. Source. Database Name. Publishers. date researcher visited site. <electronic address or URL of the source>.
Banoff, Sheldon I. “Turkeys and Chickens fear IRS Audits.” Journal of Taxation June 1994: 380. Online. Proquest Research Library Complete. 20 June 2003. <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb>
Note: if your citation is from an EBSCOhost, Ebsco is in upper case and host is in lower case.
For more information:
- MLA Style
- Click on the help icon to find out how to cite in Academic Search Premier or Business Source Complete, Lexis Nexis Academic
Chicago
Bibliography:
Author. “Article title.” Original source of article, date of original source, page numbers. Product article is available on, URL of specific article (location of site publisher, publisher, date of visit to site.
Banoff, Sheldon I. “Turkeys and Chickens fear IRS Audits.” Journal of Taxation June 1994: 380. [database online]. Proquest Research Library Complete. <http: www. Proquest.umi.com> [ 20 June 2003].
Footnotes:
Number of footnote. Author, “Article title,” Magazine or newspaper title, publication date, page numbers, database the article is available on; URL of specific article, date of visit to site.
3.Sheldon I. Banoff. “Turkeys and Chickens fear IRS Audits.” Journal of Taxation June 1994: 380. [database online].Available from: Proquest Research Library Complete. <http: www. Proquest.umi.com> [ 20 June 2003].
Note: if your citation is from an EBSCOhost, Ebsco is in upper case and host is in lower case. And if you use a FirstSearch database, indicate the database, e.g.: CINAHL and then FirstSearch.
For more information:
Turabian
Bibliography:
Author. “Article title.”Magazine or journal title, publication date, page numbers. Database the article is available on; URL, date of visit to site).
Banoff, Sheldon I. “Turkeys and Chickens fear IRS Audits.” Journal of Taxation June 1994: 380. [database online].Available from: Proquest Research Library Complete. <http: www. Proquest.umi.com> [ 20 June 2003].
Footnote:
Number of footnote. Author, “Article title,” Magazine or newspaper title, publication date, page numbers, database the article is available on; URL of specific article, date of visit to site.
3.Sheldon I. Banoff. “Turkeys and Chickens fear IRS Audits.” Journal of Taxation June 1994: 380. [database online].Available from: Proquest Research Library Complete. <http: www. Proquest.umi.com> [ 20 June 2003].
Note: if your citation is from an EBSCOhost, Ebsco is in upper case and host is in lower case.
For more information:
How do you cite in specific fields? | back to top
Anthropology
Art
Business
Chemistry
Education
History
Political science
Social sciences
Sciences
Humanities
Sociology
Bibliographies, footnotes, endnotes and references | back to top
Bibliography. Cites works for additional reading or background reading in addition to cited works in text. Can have notes. Format is not used in APA.
Reference list. APA style. Includes only those works which were cited in the text. Alphabetical listing. Author’s name is abbreviated, initials are given instead of the first name. The date follows. Source information in included in the citation, as well as the page numbers. For an internet source, add the retrieval date and the URL.
Endnotes. Appear at the end of the research paper on a separate page. Works are numbered and are listed sequentially to match their placement in the text.
Footnotes. Appear at the bottom of page where the work is cited. Start footnotes four lines below the text.
Works cited. Used in MLA format. Similar to the APA reference list. Includes only those works cites in the text. It appears on its own page at the end of the research paper. List works alphabetically by author (full name); title, source, date and give the page numbers of the work cited in the text. For internet sources, MLA recommends adding the access date and putting the URL in <>, e.g.<http://seattleu.edu/lemlib>.
What is an annotated bibliography? | back to top
Annotated bibliographies tell more about the work you are citing. An annotation can both describe and evaluate a source.
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