guide to writing research papers mla style

Citing Sources (Citation Style)

• MLA Handbook, 9th edition

MLA - Modern Language Association

• Other Styles
• Citing Government Publications
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• MLA Handbook Plus (9th edition) This link opens in a new window MLA Handbook Plus includes the full text of the ninth edition of the handbook, the first editions of both the MLA Guide to Digital Literacy and the MLA Guide to Undergraduate Research in Literature, and a video course that teaches the principles of MLA documentation style through a series of short videos paired with quizzes, plus a final assessment.

Used for liberal arts and the humanities. Always use the style required by your instructor.   

The following sites provide examples of how to write citations in MLA format for specific sources including books, periodical articles, Web pages and other Internet resources.

Milne Library MLA Style Guide based on 9th Edition

Print this pdf version or ask for a copy at the Milne Library Research Help Desk. Written by Milne Librarians. Summary of the MLA guidelines.

MLA Formatting and Style Guide based on 9th Edition

All-round best guide to formatting papers and citations in MLA. Also includes many tutorials on how to research and write papers.   

Excelsior College Online Writing Lab

All-round best guide to formatting papers and citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago. Also includes many tutorials on how to research and write papers. 

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Introduction to Research Skills: Basics of MLA Style (9th Edition)

• Develop a Research Question
• Choose the Right Search Tool
• Search Tips
• Evaluating Library Resources
• Evaluting Outside Resources
• Recognizing Different Kinds of Sources
• Basics of APA Style (7th Edition)
• Basics of MLA Style (9th Edition)
• Basics of Chicago Style (17th Edition)
• Need More Help?

MLA Online Guides

• MLA Style Center
• MLA Style Center MLA Style Center is a free online resource offered by the Modern Language Association. Included in the website are Works Cited quick guides, an interactive practice template, and much more.
• Purdue OWL Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers a complete guide to MLA Style, providing explanations of MLA guidelines for formatting, writing, and works cited references. Also included are example student papers and PowerPoint presentations.

MLA Sample Paper

• Annotated MLA Sample Paper This Annotated MLA Sample Paper is provided by Purdue OWL and illustrates the proper format and structure of an MLA paper.

Who Uses MLA?

The MLA Handbook is a style and formatting guide used in several disciplines, most commonly English and Literature. Please consult your assignment instructions to see what style is the best to use for your project.

Quick Formating Guide to MLA Style

Mla format basics.

Below is a brief overview of the basics of MLA formatting. This overview is not comprehensive, however, so please consult course materials and the official MLA Handbook. Always follow additional guidelines and rules outlined by your instructor.

General Guidelines

• According to MLA guidelines, the font for your paper should be 12 pt. It is suggested that you use an easy-to-read font style, such as Times New Roman. Check your assignment guidelines to see if your instructor recommends a particular font.
• Text should be double spaced and all paragraphs should be indented.
• In the top right corner of the page should be your last name (the author's) followed by the page number.
• Margins should be set to 1 inch on all sides of the paper.
• MLA papers typically do not have a title page. Instead, include your (the author's) first and last name in the top left corner of the first page of text. On separate lines below the author's name, list the instructor's name, the course name, and the date.
• The title of the paper is located on the line below the date. It should be centered and should use title case.

In-Text Citations

• For in-text citations, place the author's last name and the page number in parentheses (Last ##).
• If the author is called out in the text, meaning their name is used in the sentence needing the citation, then the page number is the only element included in parentheses. Example: Smith explored the potential impact of ChatGPT and other AI tools in the classroom (345).
• If there is no known author for a text, use a shortened version of the source title in place of the author's last name.
• If the author is a corporate entity, use the corporation's name in the place of the author's last name. When applicable, abbreviate elements of the corporation's name.
• If the source has two authors, include both authors' last names in the in-text citation [Example: (Smith and Johnson 35)]. If the source has three or more authors, the in-text citation should include the first author's last name followed by et al. [Example: (Smith et al. 167)].

Works Cited Page

• The Works Cited page should begin on a separate page after the conclusion of your paper. Include the title Work Cited at the top of the page, centered and in bold font.
• All entries on the Works Cited page are aligned to the left and double-spaced. Each entry should have a hanging indent, meaning any lines after the first should be indented .5 inches.
• All entries should be alphabetized by the left most element of the citation (typically the author's last name).

Print Style Manual

Online Resources

• Works Cited Interactive Practice Template This interactive practice template is offered through the MLA Style Center and provides interactive fields that can assist students in creating a MLA citation.
• Citations by Format This is a guide provided by the MLA Style Center which offers examples of citations for common formats students that students could encounter in their research.

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MLA General Format 

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MLA Style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and citing research in writing. MLA Style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages. 

Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of source material produced by other writers. 

If you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the  MLA Handbook  (9th edition). Publishing scholars and graduate students should also consult the  MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing  (3rd edition). The  MLA Handbook  is available in most writing centers and reference libraries. It is also widely available in bookstores, libraries, and at the MLA web site. See the Additional Resources section of this page for a list of helpful books and sites about using MLA Style.

Paper Format

The preparation of papers and manuscripts in MLA Style is covered in part four of the  MLA Style Manual . Below are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in  MLA Style :

General Guidelines

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
• Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are each distinct from one another. The font size should be 12 pt.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.
• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
• Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, provide emphasis.
• If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

• Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested or the paper is assigned as a group project. In the case of a group project, list all names of the contributors, giving each name its own line in the header, followed by the remaining MLA header requirements as described below. Format the remainder of the page as requested by the instructor.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
• Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks. Write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
• Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text. For example:  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas  as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
• Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
• Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit the last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style:

The First Page of an MLA Paper

Section Headings

Writers sometimes use section headings to improve a document’s readability. These sections may include individual chapters or other named parts of a book or essay.

MLA recommends that when dividing an essay into sections you number those sections with an Arabic number and a period followed by a space and the section name.

MLA does not have a prescribed system of headings for books (for more information on headings, please see page 146 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing , 3rd edition). If you are only using one level of headings, meaning that all of the sections are distinct and parallel and have no additional sections that fit within them, MLA recommends that these sections resemble one another grammatically. For instance, if your headings are typically short phrases, make all of the headings short phrases (and not, for example, full sentences). Otherwise, the formatting is up to you. It should, however, be consistent throughout the document.

If you employ multiple levels of headings (some of your sections have sections within sections), you may want to provide a key of your chosen level headings and their formatting to your instructor or editor.

Sample Section Headings

The following sample headings are meant to be used only as a reference. You may employ whatever system of formatting that works best for you so long as it remains consistent throughout the document.

Formatted, unnumbered:

Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left

Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left

Level 3 Heading: centered, bold

Level 4 Heading: centered, italics

Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Mla style examples, mla style attribution to artificial intelligence tools.

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Please Note: These style examples are for reference only. For complete style guidance,  you must consult the MLA Handbook.

• MLA Handbook Plus This link opens in a new window Full text of the 9th edition (2021) of the MLA Handbook | Research paper writing tips | Guide for citing sources in MLA Style | Access also includes the MLA Guide to Digital Literacy (2nd ed., 2022) and the MLA Guide to Undergraduate Research in Literature

Works Cited page format ·       The words “Works Cited” should be centered one inch from the top of the page. ·       There should be a running header one half inch from the top right corner (last name & page #). ·       Right and Left hand margins should be set at one inch. ·       The entire works cited page should be double spaced.   Style Examples BOOK: One author: Radavich, David A.  America Bound: An Epic for Our Time . Austin: Plain View, 2007. Print.   Two or three authors:

Coleman, Linda S., and Robert Funk. Professional and Public Writing: A Rhetoric and Reader for Advanced Composition . Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.

More than three authors – Give the first author’s name only and add et al. ("and others") for the rest.  Or give all names in full in the order in which they appear on the title page.

  ELECTRONIC BOOK: Ronchi, Alfredo M. eCulture: Cultural Content in the Digital Age . New York: Springer, 2009. PDF file.

  PERIODICAL ARTICLE: Print:

Hanlon, Christopher. “Eloquence and Invisible Man.” College Literature 32.4 (2005): 74-98. Print.

From an Online Database:

Hanlon, Christopher. “Eloquence and Invisible Man.” College Literature 32.4 (2005): 74-98. MLA International Bibliography . Web. 11 Aug. 2009.

  NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:

Leggin, Jessica. “Grading System Based on More Than Just Effort.” Daily Eastern News [Charleston] 2 Apr. 2009: A1+. Print.

  FILM OR VIDEO:

A Place in the Sun . Dir. George Stevens. Perf. Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor. 1951. Paramount, 2001. DVD.

  A WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY:

Shepherd, Reginald. “The Tendency of Dropped Objects to Fall.” American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of New Poetry. Ed. Cole Swensen and David St. John. New York: Norton, 2009. 380-81. Print.

ENTRY IN A WIDELY USED REFERENCE BOOK (such as a general encyclopedia)

“Nazism.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 2005 ed. Print.

  ENTRY IN A SPECIALIZED REFERENCE BOOK:

Stanton, Michael N. “Hobbits.” J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment . Ed. Michael D.C. Drout. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION:

United States. Cong. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Modern Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. 109 th Cong., 2nd sess. S. Hrg. 562. Washington: GPO, 2006. Print.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites . The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 20 Aug. 2009.

Academic Calendar 2009-2010 . Eastern Illinois University, 2009. Web. 20 Aug. 2009.

WORK PUBLISHED ON A WEBSITE:

Hylton, Jeremy, comp. “Measure for Measure.” The Complete Works of William Shakespeare . The Tech, 1993. Web. 20 Aug. 2009.

PARENTHETICAL REFERENCES: Parenthetical references in the body of your paper usually take the form of the author’s last name and a page reference.  For example, the reference (Radavich 68) refers to information derived from page 68 of the book cited above.  Parenthetical references must correspond to specific sources in the list of works cited.

The advice provided by the editors of the Modern Language Association Style Manual for citing generative AI tools encourages a full disclosure of how and why you used the tools whether through paraphrasing or direct quote, and to provide all relevant text generated by the tool in addition to the prompts you used to generate the text. The elements utilized to attribute your use of the tools are taken from a template of core elements which allow you to interpret how to cite new software tools like ChatGPT. For a detailed review of examples, see the link below to the "Ask the MLA"  blog. 

Core elements used for generative AI:  author *, title of source, title of container, version, publisher, date, location (URL).  *it is not recommended to include an author for text generated by AI tool. 

Example: “Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book  The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt.  ChatGPT , 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat. Title of source: "Describe the symbolism..." this is the prompt used to generate text.  Title of container: ChatGPT, the name of the AI tool. Version: AI tools will often have a reference to successive versions of itself, (chatGPT 3.5, etc.). These will be dated. Proper citation will indicate the version date.  Publisher: Who created the tool?  Date: the date that the tool was used.  Location: URL of the tool. In some cases, the prompt and the text generated by it can be shared publicly, If this is the case, share the specific url. in other cases share the generic URL for the tool. 

References: Modern Language Association. "How do I cite generative AI in MLA style?" Ask The MLA . March 17, 2023. MLA Style Center, September 21, 2023. https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/

• How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? Blog post from the MLA Style Center describing why and how to provide appropriate citation to generative artificial intelligence tools. Includes examples of paraphrasing, direct quote, and vetting of secndary sources used by the generative AI where they are made available.

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• Last Updated: Jul 23, 2024 1:37 PM
• URL: https://eiu.libguides.com/MLACitationGuide

Using MLA Format

Document Sources

Works cited quick guide.

Learn how to use the MLA format template.

Digital Citation Tool

Build citations with our interactive template.

In-Text Citations

Get help with in-text citations.

Endnotes and Footnotes

Read our guide about using notes in MLA style.

Set Up Your Paper

Setting up a research paper.

Get our guidelines for setting up academic research papers.

Formatting Captions

Learn how to format captions.

Sample Papers

Read sample papers written in MLA style.

Annotated Bibliographies

Learn how to set up an annotated bibliography.

Get Writing and Teaching Tips

Ask the mla.

Browse answers and ask MLA editors questions.

Writing Tips

Improve your writing with these suggestions.

Teaching Resources and Advice

Get teaching advice, lesson plans, and activities.

Test your knowledge with these fun quizzes.

Recent questions from Ask the MLA

When do i capitalize the first letter of a quotation.

Whether you capitalize the first letter of a quotation depends on how the quotation fits into your sentence. Capitalize the first letter of a quotation,… Read More

How do I cite quotations from different pages of a work?

This post explains how to cite quotations from different pages of a work. Read More

How do I cite a playlist?

Cite a playlist by following the MLA template of core elements. In the Title of Container element, include the name of the playlist surrounded in… Read More

How do I alphabetize Irish surnames in the works-cited list?

This post explains how to alphabetize Irish surnames Read More

How do I alphabetize a works-cited-list entry that begins with a hashtag or another symbol?

The MLA recommends that writers should “ignore symbols when alphabetizing” (“How”). This includes hashtags. Thus, if an entry begins with a hashtag or another symbol,… Read More

How do I cite a work accessed through Wayback Machine ?

Wayback Machine is an archive of websites that lives on the Internet Archive ’s site, so you would treat the Internet Archive as the container of… Read More

• University of Michigan Library
• Research Guides

The Library Research Process, Step-by-Step

• Understanding & Using a Citation Style
• Finding & Exploring a Topic
• Finding Books
• Finding Articles
• Evaluating Sources
• Reading Scholarly Articles

Citation Styles

What is a Citation?

A citation is positioned within the body of your paper, right after you finish referencing or quoting another author's work. This is known as an inline or in-text citation. At the end of your paper, you will also provide a complete reference. A reference must provide enough information to both identify and locate the original source of the information.

A reference usually includes:

• Name(s) of author(s)
• Title of source (article or chapter title and journal or book title)
• Publication date (if known)
• Page number(s)
• Volume and edition/issue numbers (for books and articles)
• If the content is likely to change over time, include the date you originally accessed the content.

Citation Resources

Style Guide Resources

Check out the U-M Library's comprehensive  Citation Help Research Guide  for examples and formatting tips for APA Style, MLA Style, IEEE Style, and well as other Science Styles. You'll also find guidance on citing government documents, data and statistics, and using bibliography tools. Learn how to manage your citations and get help with the  Manage Citations with Zotero, Mendeley, Endnote Research Guide .  

Many students also rely on PurdueOWL for their various style guides, but be aware that the website has many ads, whereas our Citation Help Research Guide is ad-free.

Related Sources

• Do you have a literature review assignment? Check out this guide for an in depth look at writing an advanced literature review.
•   Beyond Plagiarism  is made up a series of lessons that focus on strategies for finding, citing, analyzing, and quoting source material responsibly.

Tools for Formatting Citations

Having trouble formatting your citations? Use these tools to automatically generate citations for books, journal articles, newspapers and more in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.

• EasyBib EasyBib is an automatic bibliography and citation generator for MLA citations.
• University of North Carolina Citation Builder This citation generator will format citations in MLA, APA, Chicago, or CSE citation styles.
• ZoteroBib Helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.

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MLA Style Sheet

General guidelines.

Please also visit the Academic Integrity LibGuide , which provides a Citation guide for your information.

• Everything in the paper is double-spaced : works cited, indented quotes, etc.
• Pagination: student's last name and the page number are placed on each page's upper right-hand corner.
• Quotes that are more than four lines long are indented one inch from the left margin only.
• Title Page: ask the professor for his or her preference.
• Punctuation: the period always goes after the documentation parentheses except in an indented quote, where it goes before.

MLA Works Cited

A BOOK BY A SINGLE AUTHOR Sayers, Dorothy L. The Nine Tailors. San Diego: Harcourt, 1962. Print.

A BOOK BY MORE THAN ONE AUTHOR (OR EDITOR) Kerrigan, William, and Gordon Braden. The Idea of the Renaissance. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989.Print. 

Dyal, James A.,William C. Corning, and Dale M. Willows. Readings in Psychology: The Search for Alternatives.  3rd ed. New York: McGraw, 1975. Print.

WORKS BY MORE THAN THREE AUTHORS (OR EDITORS) Nielsen, Niels C., Jr., et al. Religions of the World. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1992. Print.

A BOOK COMPILED BY AN EDITOR(S) Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson, eds. Perrine's Story and Structure. 12th ed. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage  Learning, 2009. Print.

A WORK IN AN ANTHOLOGY OR A COLLECTION Fairbairn-Dunlop, Peggy. "Women and Agriculture in Western Samoa." Different Places, Different Voices. Ed.

Janet H. Momsen and Vivian Kinnaird. London: Routledge, 211-26. Print.

AN ARTICLE WITHOUT AN AUTHOR IN A REFERENCE BOOK "Hadadrimmon." Davis Dictionary of the Bible. John D. Davis, ed. 4th ed. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1972. Print.

AN ARTICLE FROM A WEEKLY OR BIWEEKLY MAGAZINE Glastris, Paul. "The New Way to Get Rich." U.S. News & World Report 7 May 1990: 26-36. Print.

AN ARTICLE FROM A DAILY NEWSPAPER Wilford, John N. "Corn in the New World: A Relative Latecomer." New York Times 7 Mar. 1995, late ed.:  C1+. Print.

AN ARTICLE IN A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL Rosen, Jonathan. "The Celestial Rolodex." The American Scholar 73 (Autumn 2004): 115-118. Print.

AN ANONYMOUS ARTICLE "Awash in Garbage." New York Times 15 Aug. 1987, sec. 1: 26. Print.

INTERNET AND OTHER SOURCES

INTERNET SOURCE (without author) "Bertha Advances toward Bahamas." CNN WORLD News. 9 July 1996. Web. 21 March 2011.

ARTICLE FROM A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ONLINE Brittain, Clark M. "The Architecture of Redemption: Spatiality in the Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor."  The Journal of Southern Religion 4 (2001). 25 July 2005. Web. 25 March 2011.

MATERIAL FROM A DATABASE ON CD-ROM Grych, John H. "Patterns of Adjustment among Children of Battered Women." Journal of Consulting and Clinical  Psychology 68 (2000): 84-94. Abstract. PsycLIT. CD-ROM. Silverplatter. 23 July 2003.

FILM, VIDEO, OR FILM CLIP ONLINE "The Glory Suffered: The Transfiguration of the Cross." The History of the Orthodox Christian Church. 2003.  GoTelecom Online. 24 Oct. 2003. Web. 5 April 2011.

BIBLE Bible. Revised Standard Version. Cleveland: Word Publishing Company, 1962. Print.

LECTURE Mitten, David M. "Greek Art and Architecture in the West: Southern Italy, Sicily, and Campania." Class lecture.  Harvard University. Cambridge, 15 May 1989.

MUSIC Sting, narr. Peter and the Wolf, op. 67. By Sergei Prokofiev. Chamber Orch. of Europe. Cond. Claudio Abbado.  Deutsche Grammophon, 1990.

Parenthetical Documentation

BASIC FORM (last name and page number) Dr. James is described as a "not-too-skeletal Ichabod Crane" (Johnson 68).

AUTHOR'S NAME IN TEXT Johnson describes Dr. James as a "not-too-skeletal Ichabod Crane" (68).

SOURCE BY TWO OR THREE AUTHORS The Authority-Rebel "tends to see himself as superior to other students in the class" (Dyal, Corning, and Willows 4).

A MULTIVOLUME WORK In the middle of several volumes of modern literary criticism, Rene Wellek admits, "An evolutionary history of criticism must fail. I have come to this resigned conclusion" (5: xxii).

ONE OF TWO (or more) WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR A friend of C. S. Lewis once said that Lewis "gave me not only love, but wisdom and understanding and, when necessary, severity" (Vanauken, Severe 21).

WORK LISTED ONLY BY THE TITLE (magazine article) An international pollution treaty would prohibit plastic garbage from being dumped at sea ("Awash" 26).

SECONDARY SOURCE THAT QUOTES THE ORIGINAL E. M. Forster says, "The collapse of all civilization, so realistic for us, sounded in Matthew Arnold's ears like a distant and harmonious cataract" (qtd. in Trilling 11).

INTERNET SOURCE Often there are no page numbers for the source, so indicate in the text who the author is. For example, Hershel Winthrop interprets Hawthorne's stories as the search for holiness in a corrupt Puritan society.

May 2012, compiled and updated by Karyn Hecht at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago 

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Online Writing Lab

Organizing and Managing Citations

Citation management software can help you manage your research and easily organize and format your citations in a wide variety of citation styles. Check out the links below for more information about these useful programs. 

• Citation Management Basics This guide provides an overview of citation management software options, including basic functions and the differences between the various options available, including EndNote, EndNote Web, and Zotero. Also provided is contact information for Purdue librarians available to provide citation management support for Purdue faculty, students, and staff.
• EndNote at Purdue This guide provides detailed how-to and FAQ for EndNote citation management software, the desktop version.
• EndNote Basic EndNote Basic is an online citation management program that is freely available for all Purdue users. This guide highlights how-to, key functions, and FAQ, as well as differences between the desktop and online versions of this product.
• Zotero Zotero is a free and open, web-based citation management program. This guide provides info on getting started and carrying out key functions, for students and instructors. It also includes video tutorials.

Avoid Plagiarism

• Types of Plagiarism Plagiarism.org presents Plagiarism 101: What is Plagiarism?
• Citing Sources Plagiarism.org's useful guide to everything about citing sources.
• Avoiding Plagiarism Tips on how to summarize, paraphrase, and quote sources without plagiarizing from the Purdue OWL. Use the links on the left to navigate.
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• Last Edited: Aug 26, 2024 4:29 PM
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• Citation Guide

FRCC Writing Center & Libraries

The writing center.

All campuses offer free, in-person writing center appointments and online appointments .

The Writing Center provides students with all types and levels of tutorial writing assistance, including citation formatting. Students are encouraged to use this support for any class with writing requirements, not just English courses.

FRCC Libraries

Library staff can also help you understand how to format your citations and get you started on RefWorks! Visit any of our 3 campus locations, or send us a message through chat with the title of the source you have questions about.

Feeling stuck? Get in touch with a librarian!

Frcc-lc library staff.

Email Laura Puls Senior Librarian 970-204-8208

Email Drew Bagby Librarian

General Help

Call:(970) 221-6740

Submit your question to the Library

What is a citation?

A citation is a reference to the original source of a given piece of information and allows the reader to locate it themselves.

There are two kinds of citations:

• In-text or Footnote citations : These are short references placed within the body of a work (in-text) or at the bottom of the page (footnote) within the work.
• Full citations : These are placed at the end of a resource, located in a References, Bibliography, or Works Cited page.

Most citations include the following information:

• Author(s) : The person, group, or organization that created it.
• Title : The name of the resource.
• Source : Where it is published. (Location and publisher for books; journal, volume, and page number for articles.)
• Date : When it was published.
• URL : Uniform Resource Locator for online resources.

Why do I need to cite my sources?

In writing your research paper, you will usually use the ideas of previous authors. In order to use and build on those ideas in your paper, you must  cite  where information comes from.

There are three main reasons why you need to cite:

1. Provides solid research to help prove the information you present 

2. Allows anyone who reads your paper enough information to find the source you used

3.  Prevents plagiarism and gives credit to the original author

There are two parts to citing sources. In-text citations and References (APA), footnotes or endnotes and Bibliography (Chicago), or in-text citations and Works Cited (MLA) page. 

Please contact a Librarian if you need any help with your citations! 

When Should I Cite Something?

You need to cite it when:

•   Quoting : using another person's exact words
•   Paraphrasing : restating another person's ideas or thoughts in your own words
•   Summarizing : a concise statement of another person's ideas or thoughts in your own words
•   Reusing facts, information and data; this includes your own previously published works
•   Discussing studies, arguments, points of view

You do not need to cite:

• information found in many sources
• information that most people know
• information shared by a cultural or national group
• Your own ideas
• Things that are easily observed
• Common sayings that are used in everyday speech

When in doubt, cite it!

Citation Guides

Publication Manual: 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association

The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition

MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd edition

Templates for microsoft word.

• APA 7th Edition Word Template This template is formatted with proper spacing, indentations, and general information for your APA style papers. Please follow your professor's instructions (some do not require the title page).
• MLA 9th edition Word Template Use this document for all of your MLA style papers!
• Chicago Style Word Template This template by Purdue Owl is formatted with proper spacing, indentations, and general information for your Chicago Style papers. Please follow your professor's instructions.

Citation Tool - RefWorks

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• Last Updated: Aug 26, 2024 4:15 PM
• URL: https://cccs.libguides.com/frcclc/biology

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Academic Referencing: How to Cite a Research Paper

Learning how to conduct accurate, discipline-specific academic research can feel daunting at first. But, with a solid understanding of the reasoning behind why we use academic citations coupled with knowledge of the basics, you’ll learn how to cite sources with accuracy and confidence.

When it comes to academic research, citing sources correctly is arguably as important as the research itself. "Your instructors are expecting your work to adhere to these professional standards," said Amanda Girard , research support manager of Shapiro Library at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

With Shapiro Library for the past three years, Girard manages the library’s research support services, which includes SNHU’s 24/7 library chat and email support. She holds an undergraduate degree in professional writing and a graduate degree in library and information science. She said that accurate citations show that you have done your research on a topic and are knowledgeable about current ideas from those actively working in the field.

In other words, when you cite sources according to the academic style of your discipline, you’re giving credit where credit is due.

Why Cite Sources?

Citing sources properly ensures you’re following high academic and professional standards for integrity and ethics.

“When you cite a source, you can ethically use others’ research. If you are not adequately citing the information you claim in your work, it would be considered plagiarism ,” said Shannon Geary '16 , peer tutor at SNHU.

Geary has an undergraduate degree in communication  from SNHU and has served on the academic support team for close to 2 years. Her job includes helping students learn how to conduct research  and write academically.

“In academic writing, it is crucial to state where you are receiving your information from,” she said. “Citing your sources ensures that you are following academic integrity standards.”

According to Geary and Girard, several key reasons for citing sources are:

• Access. Citing sources points readers to original sources. If anyone wants to read more on your topic, they can use your citations as a roadmap to access the original sources.
• Attribution. Crediting the original authors, researchers and experts  shows that you’re knowledgeable about current ideas from those actively working in the field and adhering to high ethical standards, said Girard.
• Clarity. “By citing your sources correctly, your reader can follow along with your research,” Girard said.
• Consistency. Adhering to a citation style provides a framework for presenting ideas within similar academic fields. “Consistent formatting makes accessing, understanding and evaluating an author's findings easier for others in related fields of study,” Geary said.
• Credibility. Proper citation not only builds a writer's authority but also ensures the reliability of the work, according to Geary.

Ultimately, citing sources is a formalized way for you to share ideas as part of a bigger conversation among others in your field. It’s a way to build off of and reference one another’s ideas, Girard said.

How Do You Cite an Academic Research Paper?

Any time you use an original quote or paraphrase someone else’s ideas, you need to cite that material, according to Geary.

“The only time we do not need to cite is when presenting an original thought or general knowledge,” she said.

While the specific format for citing sources can vary based on the style used, several key elements are always included, according to Girard. Those are:

• Title of source
• Type of source, such as a journal, book, website or periodical

By giving credit to the authors, researchers and experts you cite, you’re building credibility. You’re showing that your argument is built on solid research.

“Proper citation not only builds a writer's authority but also ensures the reliability of the work,” Geary said. “Properly formatted citations are a roadmap for instructors and other readers to verify the information we present in our work.”

Common Citation Styles in Academic Research

Certain disciplines adhere to specific citation standards because different disciplines prioritize certain information and research styles . The most common citation styles used in academic research, according to Geary, are:

• American Psychological Association, known as APA . This style is standard in the social sciences such as psychology, education and communication. “In these fields, research happens rapidly, which makes it exceptionally important to use current research,” Geary said.
• Modern Language Association, known as MLA . This style is typically used in literature and humanities because of the emphasis on literature analysis. “When citing in MLA, there is an emphasis on the author and page number, allowing the audience to locate the original text that is being analyzed easily,” Geary said.
• Chicago Manual of Style, known as Chicago . This style is typically used in history, business and sometimes humanities. “(Chicago) offers flexibility because of the use of footnotes, which can be seen as less distracting than an in-text citation,” Geary said.

The benefit of using the same format as other researchers within a discipline is that the framework of presenting ideas allows you to “speak the same language,” according to Girard.

APA Citation for College: A Brief Overview

Are you writing a paper that needs to use APA citation, but don’t know what that means? No worries. You’ve come to the right place.

How to Use MLA Formatting: A Brief Overview

Are you writing a paper for which you need to know how to use MLA formatting, but don’t know what that means? No worries. You’ve come to the right place.

How to Ensure Proper Citations

Keeping track of your research as you go is one of the best ways to ensure you’re citing appropriately and correctly based on the style that your academic discipline uses.

“Through careful citation, authors ensure their audience can distinguish between borrowed material and original thoughts, safeguarding their academic reputation and following academic honesty policies,” Geary said.

Some tips that she and Girard shared to ensure you’re citing sources correctly include:

• Keep track of sources as you work. Writers should keep track of their sources every time an idea is not theirs, according to Geary. “You don’t want to find the perfect research study and misplace its source information, meaning you’d have to omit it from your paper,” she said.
• Practice. Even experienced writers need to check their citations before submitting their work. “Citing requires us to pay close attention to detail, so always start your citation process early and go slow to ensure you don’t make mistakes,” said Geary. In time, citing sources properly becomes faster and easier.
• Use an Online Tool . Geary recommends the Shapiro Library citation guide . You can find sample papers, examples of how to cite in the different academic styles and up-to-date citation requirements, along with information and examples for APA, MLA and Chicago style citations.
• Work with a Tutor. A tutor can offer support along with tips to help you learn the process of academic research. Students at SNHU can connect with free peer tutoring through the Academic Support tab in their online courses, though many colleges and universities offer peer tutoring.

Find Your Program

How to cite a reference in academic writing.

A citation consists of two pieces: an in-text citation that is typically short and a longer list of references or works cited (depending on the style used) at the end of the paper.

“In-text citations immediately acknowledge the use of external source information and its exact location,” Geary said. While each style uses a slightly different format for in-text citations that reference the research, you may expect to need the page number, author’s name and possibly date of publication in parentheses at the end of a sentence or passage, according to Geary.

A longer entry listing the complete details of the resource you referenced should also be included on the references or works cited page at the end of the paper. The full citation is provided with complete details of the source, such as author, title, publication date and more, Geary said.

The two-part aspect of citations is because of readability. “You can imagine how putting the full citation would break up the flow of a paper,” Girard said. “So, a shortened version is used (in the text).”

“For example, if an in-text citation reads (Jones, 2024), the reader immediately knows that the ideas presented are coming from Jones’s work, and they can explore the comprehensive citation on the final page,” she said.

The in-text citation and full citation together provide a transparent trail of the author's process of engaging with research.

“Their combined use also facilitates further research by following a standardized style (APA, MLA, Chicago), guaranteeing that other scholars can easily connect and build upon their work in the future,” Geary said.

Developing and demonstrating your research skills, enhancing your work’s credibility and engaging ethically with the intellectual contributions of others are at the core of the citation process no matter which style you use.

A degree can change your life. Choose your program  from 200+ SNHU degrees that can take you where you want to go.

A former higher education administrator, Dr. Marie Morganelli is a career educator and writer. She has taught and tutored composition, literature, and writing at all levels from middle school through graduate school. With two graduate degrees in English language and literature, her focus — whether teaching or writing — is in helping to raise the voices of others through the power of storytelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn .

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About southern new hampshire university.

SNHU is a nonprofit, accredited university with a mission to make high-quality education more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Founded in 1932, and online since 1995, we’ve helped countless students reach their goals with flexible, career-focused programs . Our 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH is home to over 3,000 students, and we serve over 135,000 students online. Visit our about SNHU  page to learn more about our mission, accreditations, leadership team, national recognitions and awards.

FM 1330: Introduction to Fashion Merchandising

• General Information
• Scholarly or Not?
• Global Manufacturing, Economics, Trade
• Cite Your Sources
• Websites with Culture and Fashion Resources
• Basic Research Tutorials This link opens in a new window

Open Licenses Librarian, Arts & Humanities Team Librarian

Ways to Avoid Plagiarism

A Note about Plagiarism

It is important to cite your sources properly. If you want to learn more about avoiding plagiarism, read the Plagiarism Guide .

When you are writing your paper, you can use several ways to present information you have found in the body of your paper, and consciously avoid plagiarizing.

Direct quote

If you want to use a sentence or a passage exactly as it was written, you can include a direct quote, surrounded by quotation marks, and either using an inline citation, or a sentence before the quote referencing the author and work of origin.

You can also write a summary (in your own words of course) of the ideas or text you want to use. It helps to write the summary from your memory rather than looking directly at the passage.

Paraphrasing is similar to a summary. It just means taking what you have read and rewriting it in your own words.

| Google Scholar |

Library Links - FindIt@Txstate Bibliography Manager - EndNote ( refers to Desktop EndNote )

• Ulrich's To find out if a journal is considered Refereed/Peer-Reviewed , check the Ulrich's database by doing a search for the title of the journal. Many library databases allow searches to be limited to articles published in Peer-Reviewed journals.

Chicago Manual of Style Links

NOT CITING OR GIVING ATTRIBUTION TO AN IMAGE SOURCE IS A FORM OF VISUAL PLAGIARISM

Citing images:

The basic elements needed  for citing images are as follows:

• artist's name, if known
• title of image, if known
• date work was created
• if date is unknown, place n.d. were the date would go
• permanent owner or institution where the artwork is housed
• the location or city

How to Cite Images from Mississsippi State University

• See their Quick Guide for the basics
• See an example of an annotated bibliography
• Writer's Handbook Chicago
• Chicago Guide from NW Missouri with examples from different databases.

Copies of The Chicago manual of Style are also avaliable at the Alkek Library and the Music Library.

Citing Images Chicago Style from Colgate Visual Resources Library

_____________________________________________

Or if you would like to use another style you can look at other Writing & Citation Style Guides such as APA, MLA. ASA, IEEE.

ASA Image Citation

MLA Style Guide from Purdue

Other MLA resources

Print copies of the MLA Handbook are available for checkout

To see examples of how to cite images in MLA , see the  An Image (Including a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph) entry or the A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph entry from Purdue's Online Writing Lab.

Citing images in APA from the APA Style Blog

IEEE Editorial Style Manual (Online)

From The Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition

3.22 Formal titles in captions

• APA Style Help: FAQs, Video Tutorial on the basics of APA, Blog, and more learning resources
• Purdue OWL
• Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.).
• The Concise APA Handbook (7th ed.eBook)
• APA Style Manual (7th ed. print) 

Understanding a Journal Citation

You'll see something like this:

It's important to know the parts of a citation so you can interpret it correctly. You must have at least the Journal name, volume, issue, and page number to be able to locate the article.

| Citation Management |

Have a lot of citations you want to enter in your works cited/references list? Try a citation manager.

Do you need the Web or Desktop version?

• EndNote A citation management tool that enables you to:
• Organize your research Include citations while you write your paper
• Build a bibliography in a variety of formats
• Import references from library databases and Google Scholar.
• Canvas EndNote Modules
• EndNote Web Tutorials
• EndNote Desktop tutorials
• Print copies of Various Style Guides

Zotero Bib Citation Generator

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CWP: Craft of Prose: Researching the White Paper

• Getting started
• News and Opinion Sites
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• Grey Literature
• Substantive News Sources
• What to Do When You Are Stuck
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• Examples of Quotation
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Research the White Paper

Researching the white paper:.

The process of researching and composing a white paper shares some similarities with the kind of research and writing one does for a high school or college research paper. What’s important for writers of white papers to grasp, however, is how much this genre differs from a research paper.  First, the author of a white paper already recognizes that there is a problem to be solved, a decision to be made, and the job of the author is to provide readers with substantive information to help them make some kind of decision--which may include a decision to do more research because major gaps remain. 

Thus, a white paper author would not “brainstorm” a topic. Instead, the white paper author would get busy figuring out how the problem is defined by those who are experiencing it as a problem. Typically that research begins in popular culture--social media, surveys, interviews, newspapers. Once the author has a handle on how the problem is being defined and experienced, its history and its impact, what people in the trenches believe might be the best or worst ways of addressing it, the author then will turn to academic scholarship as well as “grey” literature (more about that later).  Unlike a school research paper, the author does not set out to argue for or against a particular position, and then devote the majority of effort to finding sources to support the selected position.  Instead, the author sets out in good faith to do as much fact-finding as possible, and thus research is likely to present multiple, conflicting, and overlapping perspectives. When people research out of a genuine desire to understand and solve a problem, they listen to every source that may offer helpful information. They will thus have to do much more analysis, synthesis, and sorting of that information, which will often not fall neatly into a “pro” or “con” camp:  Solution A may, for example, solve one part of the problem but exacerbate another part of the problem. Solution C may sound like what everyone wants, but what if it’s built on a set of data that have been criticized by another reliable source?  And so it goes. 

For example, if you are trying to write a white paper on the opioid crisis, you may focus on the value of  providing free, sterilized needles--which do indeed reduce disease, and also provide an opportunity for the health care provider distributing them to offer addiction treatment to the user. However, the free needles are sometimes discarded on the ground, posing a danger to others; or they may be shared; or they may encourage more drug usage. All of those things can be true at once; a reader will want to know about all of these considerations in order to make an informed decision. That is the challenging job of the white paper author.     
 The research you do for your white paper will require that you identify a specific problem, seek popular culture sources to help define the problem, its history, its significance and impact for people affected by it.  You will then delve into academic and grey literature to learn about the way scholars and others with professional expertise answer these same questions. In this way, you will create creating a layered, complex portrait that provides readers with a substantive exploration useful for deliberating and decision-making. You will also likely need to find or create images, including tables, figures, illustrations or photographs, and you will document all of your sources. 

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