Citations
An important part of the research process is compiling a bibliography—a list of sources consulted—and citing those sources. The main reason for citing sources is to give credit to the authors whose ideas you have used in your research paper. Citing your sources also allows readers of your work to build on your research by finding the sources to which you've referred. Finally, if you don't cite the sources upon which your research is based, you will be guilty of the most ignoble academic sin: Plagiarism.
Elements of a Citation
Regardless of the citation style you use (see next section on Citation Styles and Style Manuals), there are certain elements common to all citations. Therefore, keep track of the following as you locate and gather research materials:
- Books
- Author (or editor); Title; and Publishing information (City, Publisher, Year of publication)
- Articles
- Author(s); Title of article; Title of journal or magazine; Volume and Date of periodical; and Page number(s) of article
If you access information via the Web, also record the address of the Web site (or online database you used) and the date you accessed the site or database.
Citation Styles and Style Manuals
The citation style you choose may depend on the style your professor prefers or the discipline in which you are doing research. Styles manuals provide guidelines on how to format the elements of your citation, including the order of the elements, punctuation, and spacing. Style manuals may also contain other useful information such as proper page layout, use of quotations, etc.
The following style manuals are the most commonly used citation guides for research. They are all available at the Reference Desk at Kennedy Library.
- APA
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed., 2001.
- CSE
- Scientific style and format : the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers
T11 .S386 2006 (Ref) - Chicago
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed., 2003.
- MLA
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., 2003.
- Turabian
- A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed., 1996.
Also available at the Reference Desk are:
- The Columbia Guide to Online Style, 1998. A guide to citing academic documents and resources stored electronically; this interdisciplinary template can be applied to a variety of already established style guides.
- Form and Style: Research Papers, Reports, Theses, 12th ed., 2003. Provides citation examples for the APA, Chicago, and MLA styles.
Assistance
For assistance with any aspect of citing sources, please seek assistance at the Reference Desk, tel. 756-2649.
