Citing Your Sources
What is a Style Manual?
AP, APA, CMOS and MLA are styles recommended by scholarly associations for preparing manuscripts, research papers and publication. The books (manuals) outline the mechanics of writing, such as punctuation, quotation, and documentation of sources.
AP – The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually called the AP Stylebook, is a style and usage guide used by newspapers and in the news industry in the United States. The book is updated annually by Associated Press editors, usually in June. Reporters, editors and others use the AP Stylebook as a guide for grammar, punctuation and principles and practices of reporting. Although some publications use a different style guide, the AP Stylebook is considered a newspaper industry standard and is also used by broadcasters, magazines and public relations firms. It includes an A-to-Z listing of guides to capitalization, abbreviation, spelling, numerals and usage. (Wikipedia "AP Stylebook") http://www.apstylebook.com/
AP Stylebook. The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. 42nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2007. Print.
APA — American Psychological Association (APA) Style is a set of rules that authors use when submitting papers for publications in APA journals. The APA states that they were developed to assist reading comprehension in the social and behavioral sciences, for clarity of communication, and to "move the idea forward with a minimum of distraction and a maximum of precision." The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association contains guidelines for every aspect of writing, especially in the social sciences, from determining authorship to constructing a table to avoiding plagiarism and constructing accurate reference citations. (Wikipedia "APA") http://www.apastyle.org/ Also see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, D.C: American Psycological Association, 2010. Print.
CMOS — The Chicago Manual of Style (abbreviated in writing as CMS or CMOS, or verbally as Chicago) is a style guide for American English published since 1906 by the University of Chicago Press. Its sixteen editions have prescribed writing and citation styles widely used in publishing. It is one of the most widely used and respected style guides in the United States, and is considered the de facto guide for American English style, grammar, and punctuation. The CMS deals with aspects of editorial practice, from American English grammar and usage to document preparation. (Wikipedia "The Chicago Manual of Style") http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Print.
MLA — The Modern Language Association of America (referred to as the Modern Language Association or MLA) is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature."[1] The organization includes 30,000 members in 100 countries, primarily academic scholars, professors, and graduate students who study or teach language and literature, including English, other modern languages, and comparative literature.[1][2] Although founded in the United States, with offices located in New York City, the MLA's membership, concerns, reputation, and influence are international in scope. http://www.mla.org/about/ Also see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. NewYork: Modern Language Association of America. 2009. Print
Select One Style
Most schools, colleges, universities and businesses have a preferred style. Find out which style manual you are expected to use. If one has not been selected, choose one yourself and stick to that particular style. Most style manuals have an online version as well as a printed manual. The online versions require annual fees and may offer extra Q & A services. The printed manuasl involve a one time fee with no extra frills.
This web site uses MLA style which is widely used by academic institutions. Below are some examples of MLA citation style. More examples can be found on the Purdue OWL web site. (See link above.)
Online Citation Editors
There are various online editors that will help you create a bibliography "automatically". However, a correctly written citation will depend on how precisely you enter the required information into the form fields.
Warlick, David. "Son of Citation Machine." The Landmark Project, Apr 2006.Web. <http://www.citationmachine.net> 20 May 2010.
EasyBib: Free Bibliography Maker — MLA, APA, Chicago citation styles. ImagineEasy Solutions, LLC, 2011. Web <http://www.easybib.com/ > 17 Aug 2011
Some online resources include tools for page citation. Wikipedia includes a citation editor on the left side of each page. Look for "toolbox".
Two Steps in Citing a Source
When ever you use borrowed information, you must cite its source (tell where the information came from.) There are two steps in citing a source
Step 1 : An in-text citation — insert a short reference in the body of your paper.
Step 2: A Works Cited page — prepare a separate page at the end of the paper.
- Format the Works Cited page with one-inch margins (and same headings, margins and numbering used in previous pages.
- Center the words — Works Cited (no italics or quotation marks)
- Double spaced
- Indent second line
- List all pages used in a particular resource inclusively. (If pages 25 – 30 are used, list on your Works Cited pages as 25 – 30.
- For a resource entry, capitalize each word in the title except articles, prepositions and conjunctions unless it is the first word of the title: ( The Coming of Age in Samoa)
Citing Sources
In-text Citations
Any source information that you provide in-text must correspond to the source information on the Works Cited page. The key word or phrase you provide to your readers in the text, must be the first thing that appears on the left-hand margin of the corresponding entry in the Works-cited List.
The author's name may appear either in the sentence itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase.
In-text Example
According to Hogue, he purpose of an in-text citation is to refer the reader to the works-cited list at the end of your paper. In-text citations are also called parenthetical references because they are enclosed in parentheses. Place in-text citations immediately after the borrowed information, usually at the end of a sentence before the final period. (533)
or
The purpose of an in-text citation is to refer the reader to the works-cited list at the end of your paper. In-text citations are also called parenthetical references because they are enclosed in parentheses. Place in-text citations immediately after the borrowed information, usually at the end of a sentence before the final period. (Hogue 353).
The citation at the end of the sentence tells us that the information in the sentence came from page 353 of a work written by Hogue. If readers want more information about this source, they can go to the works-cited list and find this information under the name Hogue.
Corresponding Listing in Works Cited
Hogue, Ann. "The essentials of English: a writer's handbook. New York: Pearson Education, Inc. 2003. 353 – 533. Print.
Common Types of In-text Citations
| AUTHORS | IN TEXT CITATION |
|---|---|
ONE AUTHOR |
(Davis 64-65) |
TWO OR THREE AUTHORS |
(Hall and Hall 140) If there are two or three authors, give all their names. |
FOUR OR MORE AUTHORS |
(Singleton et al. 345) |
ENTIRE ARTICLE ON ONE PAGE |
(Allen) |
AUTHOR ALREADY MENTIONED |
(140) |
SAME AUTHOR, TWO DIFFERENT WORKS |
(Tannen, Gender 220) |
NO AUTHOR |
("Earthquakes" 212) |
ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLE |
("Global Warming") |
ELECTRONIC RESOURCE |
(J&J "Credo" screen 2) |
Citing Sources
Works-cited List
The second step in citing sources is to
- list all the sources that you actually used in your paper. (Don't include sources that you read but didn't use.)
- List them alphabetically by last name of the author or, if there is no author, by the first word of the title (disregarding A, An and The).
- Include information about each source as follows.
- Pay close attention to punctuation and capitalization, and indent the second line five spaces
- Place at the end of the paper. (On this web page, the citation is located at the bottom of the page.)
Books
| Author | Title | Publisher City | Publisher Name | Year | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
1962 |
![]() |
Hitchcock, Alfred. |
Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery . |
New York: |
Random House, |
1962. |
Print. |
- Author's last name, first name middle initial (followed by a period)
- Title of Book (in italics and followed by a period)
- City of Publication (followed by a colon)
- Name of Publisher (followed by a comma)
- Year of Publication (followed by a period)
- Medium of Publication (followed by a period)
| AUTHORS | BOOK CITATION |
|---|---|
ONE AUTHOR |
Hitchcock,
Alfred. Alfred Hitchcock's Ghostly Gallery. New York:
Random House, 1962. Print. |
TWO OR THREE AUTHORS |
Stewart, David W. and David H. Furse. Effective Television Advertising: A Study of 1000 Commercials. Lexington: Lexington Books, 1986. Print. 1) last name, first 2) first name last name. List first author's
last name, followed by first name, and middle initial (if any); then list the second author's first name, middle initial (if any),
and last name. |
FOUR OR MORE AUTHORS |
Holloway, Susan D., et al. Through My Own Eyes: Single Mothers and the Cultures of Poverty. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1997. Print. If there are four or more authors,
use the first author's name and the Latin abbreviation
et al. (shortened from et al ii, "and others). Note
the period after the abbreviation al. |
EDITOR(S) RATHER THAN AUTHOR(S) |
Baughman, Cynthia, ed. Women
on Ice: Feminist Essays on the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan
Spectacle. New York: Routledge, 1995. Print. |
Articles from Periodicals
Magazines
| Authors | Title | Magazine Name | Date | Pages | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"Title" |
|
|
|
![]() |
Underwood, Ann and Karen Springen. |
"Certified Organic." |
Newsweek. |
3 Sept. 2002: |
70 –71. |
Print. |
(unknown) |
"Why Our Economy is Failing." |
Daily News. |
19 May 2010: |
3 – 5. |
Print. |
- Author's last name, first name middle initial
- Title of Article (enclosed in quotation marks with a period before final quotation mark)
- Title of Magazine (in italics and followed by a period)
- Day (if given) Month (abbreviated except May, June, and July) Year: (followed by a colon)
- Page numbers of article (if the article is not printed on consecutive pages) (followed by a period)
- Medium of Publication (followed by a period)
Journal Articles
| Authors | Title | Journal | Vol. & No. | Year | Pages | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"Title" |
|
Vol 288, |
|
|
![]() |
Hodnett, et al. |
"Effectiveness of Nurses as Providers of Birth Labor Support in North American Hospitals." |
The American Journal of Anesthesiology |
288.11 |
(2002): |
1373-81. |
Print. |
- Author's last name, first name middle initial
- Title of Article (enclosed in quotation marks with a period before final quotation mark)
- Title of Journal (in italics )
- Volume
- Year (enclosed in parentheses and followed by a colon)
- Page numbers of article (followed by a period)
- Medium of Publication (followed by a period)
Newspaper Articles
| Author | Title | Newspaper | Date & Edition | Pages | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"Title" |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
Schevitz, Tanya. |
"Universities Face Student Deluge." |
San Francisco Chronicle |
4 Sept. 2009 late ed.: |
C12. |
Print. |
Bakeman, Paul. |
"Tritons Win Nationals." |
Peninsula Weekly |
3 Dec. 2009: |
A1. |
Print. |
- Author's last name, first name middle initial
- Title of Article (enclosed in quotation marks with a period before final quotation mark)
- Name of Newspaper (in italics, no period after it)
- Date and Edition (if any) (enclosed in parentheses and followed by a colon)
- Page numbers of article (followed by a period)
- Medium of Publication (followed by a period)
Internet
Web Pages
MLA no longer requires the use or URLs as they change often and may occur in multiple places.
If a URL is required by an employer or instructor, include the URL in angled brackets and break long URLs only after directory slashes.
| Authors | Web Page Title | Sponsoring Agency | Date of Publication | Medium | Web Address (optional) | Date of Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"Title" |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
Stolley, Karl. |
"MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)." |
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) |
10 Apr 2011. |
Web. |
<http://owl.english.purdue.edu |
18 May 2011. |
DeBono, Steve, Terri Rosen. |
"Accidental Hero: Benefits of Forensics." |
PBS - KQED, |
2002. |
Web. |
<http://www.pbs.org/ |
10 Jan. 2003. |
CNN and Reuters. |
"Boston Columnist Resigns Amid New Plagiarism Charges." |
Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., |
19 Aug. 1998. |
Web. |
|
6 Mar. 2009. |
- Author's last name, first name middle initial (if available).
- Title of Web Page (Publication) (enclosed in quotation marks with a period before final quotation mark)
- Sponsoring Agency (followed by a comma)
- Date of publication or date modified (followed by a period)
- Medium (followed by a period)
- Web Address (optional)
- Date accessed (followed by a period)
Music
| Composer/ Writer | Title & Album | Performers | Conductor/ Producer | Distributer | Release Year | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
"Title.Album" |
|
|
|
|
![]() |
Beethoven, Ludwig van. |
"The 9 Symphonies." |
Perf. NBC Symphony Orchestra. |
Cond. Arturo Toscanini. |
RCA, |
2003. |
CD. |
Sting. |
"Every Breath You Take." Synchonicity. |
Perf. The Police |
The Police, Hugh Padgham. |
A & M, |
1983. |
Vinyl record (7"). |
Cobain, Kurt , et al. |
"Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind. |
Nirvana. |
Butch Vig. |
Geffen, |
1991. |
Audiocassette. |
Nirvana. |
"Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind. |
|
|
Geffen, |
1991. |
CD. |
List sound recordings so that they can easily be found. Generally, citations begin with the artist name. However, they can also be listed by composers (comp.) or performers (perf.). Otherwise, list composer and performer information after the album title.
- Composer / writier. (followed by a period)
- Title & Album (followed by a period)
- Performers (optional) (followed by a period)
- Conductor / Producer (optional) (followed by a period)
- Distributor (followed by a comma)
- Release Year (followed by a period)
- Medium (followed by a period)
Audio Visual Materials
Bibliogrpahic Citations:
| SCENE (optional) | TITLE | DIRECTOR | PERFORMERS (optional) | STUDIO / DISTRIBUTOR | RELEASE YEAR | MEDIUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Film Title. |
|
|
|
|
|
"Strange Attacks." |
The Birds . |
Dir. Hitchcock. |
Perf. Tippi Hedron. |
Universal Pictures, |
1963. |
Film. |
|
Citizen Kane. |
Dir. Orson Welles. |
Perfs. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton. |
RKO Radio Pictures, |
1945. |
Film. |
|
The King's Speech. |
Dir. Tom Hooper. |
Perfs. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter. |
See-Saw Films, |
2010. |
Film. |
"(scene name) ", |
Ed Wood. |
Dir. Tim Burton. |
Perfs. Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette. |
Touchstone, |
1994. |
DVD. |
Page note citation:
- The King's Speech. Dir by Tom Hooper. Universal Pictures, 1963. Film.
- Ed Wood. Dir Tim Burton.Touchstone Pictures, 1994. DVD.
- Citizen Kane. Dir Orson Welles. RKO Radio Pictures, 1945.Film
- The King's Speech. Dir Tom Hooper. Bedlam Productions, Ltd., See-Saw Films, 2010. Film
Other emphasis:
The actor the director may be listed first for emphasis or focus:
Film: The King's Speech. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perfs. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter. See-Saw Films, 2010. Film.
Actor: Firth, Collin, perf. The King's Speech. See-Saw Films, 2010. Film
Director: Hooper, Tom, dir. The King's Speech. See-Saw Films, 2010. Film
Citation Changes of 2009
- Include Medium of Publication: DVD, Print, CD, Web
- URLs are no longer required for Web entries. One may be included in angled brackets: <http://www.site.com> For long URLs, break only at slash marks (directories).
- Entries that were originally issued in print but later accessed from an online database should include the name of the online database in italics.
- Use italics instead of underlining (due to confusion with link underlines) for larger works such as books and magazines, and use quotation marks for smaller works such as articles and poems.
Other Citations
See MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources Purdue Owl
Resources
- AP Stylebook. The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. 42nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 2007. Print.
- The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Print.
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. NewYork: Modern Language Association of America. 2009. Print
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, D.C: American Psycological Association, 2010. Print.
- Purdue OWL. MLA Formatting and Style Guide. The Purdue OWL. Purdue University Writing Lab, 21 Apr. 2010. Web. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/11> 20 Aug 2011.
- Wikipedia contributors. "AP Stylebook." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 16 Aug. 2011.
- – – –. "APA style." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Aug. 2011.
- – – –."Chicago Manual of Style." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Aug. 2002. Web. 16 Aug. 2011.
- – – –."MLA." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Jun. 2011. Web. 16 Aug. 2011.





















