- Citation is a method of attribution that indicates your work came from another source (Acknowledging the source).
- It is important to cite sources to avoid plagiarism, but it is also important to cite sources so readers can learn more about your topic or research background information.
- Citation also lets readers know how much effort you put into the research for your paper.
- Citing other’s ideas also lends credibility to your ideas.
- It is also important to ‘distinguish’ your ideas from others, and to know that thery are supported or differentiated from other’s ideas.
APA Style
The basic APA citation for a journal article is:
- Lastname, A.A., Lastname, B.B., & Lastname, C.C. (YEAR). Title of Article.Title of Journal, volume #, start page-end page. doi: xx.xxxxxxxx
For books, it’s:
- Lastname, A.A. (YEAR). Title of book. Location: Publisher.
For websites, it’s:
- Lastname,A.A. (Year, Month, Day). Title of website [Description of form]. Retrieved from http://www.webaddress.domain
MLA Style
The basic MLA citation for a journal article is:
- Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal. Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Title of Database. Medium of Publication. Date of access.
For books, it's:
- Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Medium of Publication.
For websites, it's:
- Editor, author or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number (if available). Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of Publication. Date of access.
Important: MLA does not require you to put the URL (web address) in a citation. If your professor requires this, it goes in angle brackets after the date of access.
- Editor, author or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number (if available). Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of Publication. Date of access. <http://www.somewebaddress.com>