Library Research Assistance

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Citing Sources

WHEN TO CITE
When writing a research paper, you need to provide a citation for every resource you use to compile your research.

If you refer to the ideas from a specific article within the context of your paper, you need to provide a footnote, endnote or in-text citation (depending on citation style) to the article and you must also include the full citation for the journal article in your Works Cited / Bibliography page.

Even if you just used a particular book or web site for background research, you should include it in your Works Cited page.

HOW TO CITE: COMPOSITION OF A CITATION
Different elements of a citation are required for each of the various types of resources you use. The citation style you use (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) dictates what is required and how it is formatted, but basic citation elements remain fairly consistent across citation styles.

For books: author, title, publisher, place of publication, and publication date.

For articles: author, date, article title, journal title, journal volume and issue, and page numbers.

HOW TO CITE: CITATION STYLE GUIDES
MLA, APA, and Chicago are three of the main citation styles used for writing and formatting research papers. Ask your instructor if you are unsure about which style to use and what guidebook, web resource, etc. to use to locate citation rules and examples.

The OWL at Purdue: MLA Formatting and Citation Guide
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

The OWL at Purdue: APA Formatting and Citation Guide
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

For tools to help you format your works cited page or to organize your citations, see:
Citation Management Tools