Why do we use citations?
Citations tell others where we found our facts. If someone really liked what you wrote and wanted to learn more, they could look at the websites, books, and articles you used to learn more about the topic.
Basic Citation Information
Who wrote it?
Author
What is it?
Title
Where was it made?
Publisher
When was it made?
Publication or Copyright Date
Examples
MLA
Book
Author(s). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Database Article
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal. Volume.Issue (Year): Pages. Title of Database. Medium of Publication. Date of Access. <URL>.
Website
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). "Title of Page." Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), Date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of Access. <URL>.
APA
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher City, Publisher State Abbreviation: Publisher.
Database Article
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Magazine, Volume(Issue) , Pages. Digital Object Identifier / Retrieved from Database Name
Website
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of site. Retrieved from http://Web address
Resources
Purdue Online Writing Lap (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
One of the best places to go to on the web about learning how to cite sources. I suggest going to the lower left hand corner and choosing the "MLA Guide" or "APA Guide." From there, click on MLA (or APA) Formatting and Style Guide. This will give you all the options and scenarios to guide you in your citation.
Bibme: http://www.bibme.org/
One of the more established automatic bibliography makers out there. Bibme is connected to WorldCAT which allows them to access a huge amount of library holdings data to make accurate bibliographies.
Cite this for Me: http://www.citethisforme.com/
A versatile site that helps you create your bibliography on the web then allows you to copy, download or email it. If you have all your citation information and want to take a more hands on approach to an automatic bibliography maker, check this out.
Diane Hacker Research and Documentation Guide: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/
Diana Hacker was a teacher who created guides to solving practical writing problems. Her Hacker Handbooks have evolved into a collection of guides that one would find on many a writer's shelves.
Citations tell others where we found our facts. If someone really liked what you wrote and wanted to learn more, they could look at the websites, books, and articles you used to learn more about the topic.
Basic Citation Information
Who wrote it?
Author
What is it?
Title
Where was it made?
Publisher
When was it made?
Publication or Copyright Date
Examples
MLA
Book
Author(s). Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Database Article
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal. Volume.Issue (Year): Pages. Title of Database. Medium of Publication. Date of Access. <URL>.
Website
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). "Title of Page." Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), Date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of Access. <URL>.
APA
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher City, Publisher State Abbreviation: Publisher.
Database Article
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Magazine, Volume(Issue) , Pages. Digital Object Identifier / Retrieved from Database Name
Website
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of site. Retrieved from http://Web address
Resources
Purdue Online Writing Lap (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
One of the best places to go to on the web about learning how to cite sources. I suggest going to the lower left hand corner and choosing the "MLA Guide" or "APA Guide." From there, click on MLA (or APA) Formatting and Style Guide. This will give you all the options and scenarios to guide you in your citation.
Bibme: http://www.bibme.org/
One of the more established automatic bibliography makers out there. Bibme is connected to WorldCAT which allows them to access a huge amount of library holdings data to make accurate bibliographies.
Cite this for Me: http://www.citethisforme.com/
A versatile site that helps you create your bibliography on the web then allows you to copy, download or email it. If you have all your citation information and want to take a more hands on approach to an automatic bibliography maker, check this out.
Diane Hacker Research and Documentation Guide: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/
Diana Hacker was a teacher who created guides to solving practical writing problems. Her Hacker Handbooks have evolved into a collection of guides that one would find on many a writer's shelves.
Use the following information and examples to guide your citations.
Citation Help
Citation Help
- General Citation
- Author. (Date). Title. Type. Location.
- Author. (Date). Title. Type. Location.
- Book Example
- Smith, John. (2011). Colors of the Rainbow. Book. New York.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Date - When was the book made? Often called Copyright Date.
- Title - What the book is called
- Type - What kind of resource is this?
- Location - Choose the city closest to you that is listed on the title page. This is optional for the book citation
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Smith, John. (2011). Colors of the Rainbow. Book. New York.
- Encyclopedia Example
- Version 1 (Author available)
- Smith, John. (2011). Colorado. New Book of Knowledge. Encyclopedia. v.3.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Date - When was the encyclopedia made? Often called Copyright Date.
- Title - What is the name of the article/item you looked up? Also, put the name of the encyclopedia you used.
- Type - What kind of resource is this?
- Location - Put the volume number in the Location spot.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Smith, John. (2011). Colorado. New Book of Knowledge. Encyclopedia. v.3.
- Version 2 (No Author available)
- Colorado. (2011). New Book of Knowledge. Encyclopedia. v.3.
- Author - There isn’t an author, skip it
- Date - When was the encyclopedia made? Often called Copyright Date.
- Title - What is the name of the article/item you looked up? Put this first. Also, put the name of the encyclopedia you used AFTER the date.
- Type - What kind of resource is this?
- Location - Put the volume number in the Location spot.
- Author - There isn’t an author, skip it
- Colorado. (2011). New Book of Knowledge. Encyclopedia. v.3.
- Version 1 (Author available)
- Magazine Example
- Smith, John. (2011). Bat habitats. Ranger Rick. Magazine. v.30, n.8.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Date - When was the magazine you used made? Often called Copyright Date.
- Title - What is the name of the article? Also, put the name of the magazine you used.
- Type - What kind of resource is this?
- Location - Put down the volume and issue number. Volume generally refers to the number year that it was made. Issue refers to the month.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Smith, John. (2011). Bat habitats. Ranger Rick. Magazine. v.30, n.8.
- Website Example
- Smith, John. (2011). Money Tips for 4th Graders. Website. http://www.money.com
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Date - When was the web page you used made? Often called Copyright Date.
- Title - What is the name of the article/web page?
- Type - What kind of resource is this?
- Location - This is where you put the web address.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Smith, John. (2011). Money Tips for 4th Graders. Website. http://www.money.com
- Database Example
- Smith, John. (2011). Venus. Columbia Encyclopedia. Database. Accessed from Kids Infobits.
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Date - When was the database article you used made? Often called Copyright Date.
- Title - What is the name of the article? What is the name of the source it came from (sometimes this can be a book or encyclopedia)?
- Type - What kind of resource is this?
- Location - Show what database you used (Kids Infobits, FactCite, etc.)
- Author - Last name first, then a comma, followed by the first name.
- Smith, John. (2011). Venus. Columbia Encyclopedia. Database. Accessed from Kids Infobits.