Citing Your Research| Basic Library Research Skills | Southern Utah University |
Citing Your ResearchThis course focuses on how to do library research, and a good way to maintain academic honesty while doing library research is to properly acknowledge, or give credit to, the sources of information you find by citing the source. The rules for citing sources are well spelled out and easy to follow.
This topic briefly covers how to cite your information sources in APA and MLA format. For more details see the following resources:
When writing a paper, citations are the acknowledgement that you have taken information from another source. Once you have found the sources you intend to use, you then need to identify them for your reader. These citations will lead the reader to the exact location where that source can be found. Depending on the style of writing required by your professor, these citations are usually in the form of footnotes or a bibliography. Footnotes are usually at the bottom of the page, while a bibliography is usually on the last pages of a written paper. These bibliographies are referred to as references or works cited, depending on the writing style. This is to show the reader that you have done your research, and to provide the reader with other sources to read more on the subject.
In this course, we ask you to document your information sources using either the MLA or APA style. When using MLA style, the Works Cited a listing of sources used in the text of the research paper. When using the APA style, the list of information sources used in the text of a research paper is called the Reference list. For whatever style you use, follow the guidelines accurately and consistently, since form and punctuation are important.
The basis of citation is that you recognize when you use information that is not yours:
One of the best things you can do when doing research is to take careful notes and keep track of the resources you find. Your notes should contain all the basic information required for properly citing the material: author, title, publishing information, dates, pages, etc. It is usually difficult to go back at a later date and find an article or book that you failed to note when you first found it. Sloppy research practices and poor note taking will increase your chances of unintentionally plagiarizing.
To avoid plagiarism, cite any information you use from books, articles, government documents, interviews, Internet sources, software, videos, graphics, or sound recordings. Essentially, all sources of information, except common knowledge, need to be cited properly. Common knowledge is a particular fact that most people would know and that is found in many sources. Good examples of common knowledge are:
The best policy is - when in doubt about whether information is common knowledge or not, cite it anyway!
There are several different editorial styles, or organizational methods, for writing research papers and listing the information sources that are cited in a paper. The different organizational methods are called styles and have very specific layouts that are described in style manuals. The style you are required to use is generally determined by the subject for which you are writing. For example, psychology, English, and biology each use a different style when citing resources in research papers. The most commonly used styles in college writing are APA (American Psychological Association), and MLA (Modern Language Association).
Whenever you need to know the details for properly citing your research materials you should refer to the appropriate style manual. The library keeps style manuals for many other college subjects. Copies of many style manuals are available on Reserve at the Circulation Desk, as well as the Main Collection.
The tables below show each of these style manuals and include: publisher information, Sherratt Library call number, and the subjects (disciplines) that generally use that style. The table also shows how a scholarly journal citation appears in each particular style. The citation examples are for an article with the following information:
Note the different ways the same information is cited in the different styles. There are differences in how the parts of the citation are arranged, capitalization, punctuation, and in describing the issue , date, and page numbers.
APA
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th Edition. American Psychological Association.(BF76.7.P83, Reserve and Reference Collection.)
Subject: Psychology, education, and social sciences. Citation: Morrone, M., Rathbun, A. (2003). Health education and food safety behavior in the university setting. Journal of Environmental Health, 65(7). 9-15.
MLA
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. Joseph Gibaldi. Modern Language Association. (LB2369 .G53, Reserve and Reference Collection.)
Subject: Arts, English, and humanities. Citation: Morrone, Michele and Ann Rathbun. "Health Education and Food Safety Behavior in the University Setting." Journal of Environmental Health, 65.7 (2003): 9-15. Print.
Other style manuals used in college writing:
Style Manual Subjects A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Kate L. Turabian. (LB2369 .T8, Reserve Collection.) Humanities Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 6th edition. 1995. Edward J. Huth. Council of Biology Editors. (T11.S386, Reserve Collection.) Published by the Council of Science Editors it is now referred to as the CSE style. Biology and other sciences The ACS Style Guide : A Manual for Authors and Editors. 2nd ed. 1997. Janet S. Dodd (Editor). American Chemical Society. (QD8.5 .A25, Reserve Collection.) Chemistry The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th Edition. (Z 253 .U69, Reserve Collection.) History
Be sure to ask your instructor what citation style is required for an assignment. A librarian can assist you in finding an appropriate style manual.
The Works Cited is the list of the sources cited in the text of a research paper. It appears at the end of the paper, is double-spaced within and between sources, and is arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name. Sources without authors are arranged alphabetically by title (omitting any A, An, The) within the same list. The first line of each source is flush with the left margin; second and succeeding lines are indented ½ inch (or five typewriter spaces) from the left margin
Book: one author
Barnes, Frank R. The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture. New York: Pantheon, 1998. Print.
Book: 2 or 3 authors
Ford, Donna Y., and J. John Harris. Multicultural Gifted Education. New York: Teachers College, 2003. Print.
Book: more than 3 authors
Gilman, Sander, et al. Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley: U of California P, 1993. Print.
Government author
United States. Bureau of Land Management. A Guide to Our Federal Lands. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office. GPO, 1999. Print.
Encyclopedia article
“Mandarin.” The Encyclopedia Americana. 2000 ed. Print.
Encyclopedia article with author
Mohanty, Jitendra M. “Indian Philosophy.” The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th ed. 2003. Print.
Newspaper article
Abbott, Steve, and Joan Simpson. “Now Playing: Babes in Cyberspace.” Christian Science Monitor 3 Apr. 2002. Extra ed.: C1+. Print.
"Marines Charged in Assault Case." Houston Chronicle 14 Feb. 2003: 6A. Print.
Magazine article
Armstrong, Larry, Dori Jones Yang, and Alice Cuneo. “The Learning Revolution.” Business Week 28 Feb. 2002: 80-88. Print.
Franklin, Cullen. “The Creative Personality.” Psychology Today July-Aug. 2008: 36-40. Print.
Journal article
Hallin, Daniel C. " Sound Bite News: Television Coverage of Elections." Journal of Communication 42.2 (2003): 5-24. Print.
Lindahl, Kristin M., et. al. "Observations of Marital Conflict and Power: Relations with Parenting in the Triad." Journal of Marriage and the Family 61 (2003): 320-330. Print.
Online book
Baker, Phil. From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas Into Money. Upper Saddle River, N.J: FT Press, 2009. Safari Online Books. Web. 17 Jan. 2009.
Encyclopedia article from a subscription service
"Austen, Jane." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. Credo Reference. Web. 17 June 2009.
OR (URL is optional; ask your professor)
"Austen, Jane." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. Credo Reference. Web. 17 June 2009. <http://www.credoreference.com/entry/ebconcise/austen_jane>.
Howard, Lillie. “Zora Neale Hurston.” Dictionary of Literary Biography: Afro-American Writers from the Harlem Renaissance to 1940. Ed. Trudier Harris. Detroit: Gale, 1987. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Jan. 2009.
Newspaper article from a subscription service
Seib, Gerald F. “On Green Affairs, Politics Aren't All Black and White.” Wall Street Journal 11 Apr. 2001. Eastern ed.: A.20. ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 23 Apr. 2009.
Magazine article from a subscription service
Jost, Kenneth. "Student Rights." CQ Researcher 19.21 (2009): 501-524. CQ Researcher. Web. 17 June 2009.
Kluger, Jeffrey. “Dr. Sigmund Doolittle.” Discover Feb. 1996: 84+. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Apr. 2009.
Journal article from a subscription service
Guber, Deborah Lynn. “Voting Preferences and the Environment in the American Electorate.” Society & Natural Resources 14.6 (2002): 455-469. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Dec. 2008.
Thompson, Michael D., and Robert O. Riggs. “Institutional Expenditure Patterns and the Facilitation of Mission.” Community College Review 27.4 (2000): 1-15. Education Full Text. Web. 12 Feb. 2009.
Website
The Daily Utah Chronicle. University of Utah. 2006. Web. 5 Feb. 2009.
OR (URL is optional; ask your professor)
The Daily Utah Chronicle. University of Utah. 2006. Web. 5 Feb. 2009. <http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/>.
Article on Website
Davidson, Lee. "Bishop Saves F-y One Vote." Deseret News. Deseret News, 17 June 2009. Web. 18 June 2009.
Green, Joshua. "The Rove Presidency." The Atlantic.com. Atlantic Monthly Group, Sept. 2007. Web. 15 May 2009.
Lubell, Sam. “Of the Sea and Air and Sky.” New York Times. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2008.
The MLA (Modern Language Association guidelines require that you cite any quotations, summaries, paraphrases, and other material used from sources within parentheses typically placed at the end of the sentence in which the quoted or paraphrased material appears. The parenthetical method replaces the use of footnotes. These in-text parenthetical citations correspond to the full bibliographic entries found in a Works Cited list of sources at the end of your paper.
The information that you need to include depends on what type of source the material comes from. For printed material you normally only need to include the author(s) (or title if there is no author) and page number(s) in your reference. This information can be either included in the sentence that you write, or added in parentheses at the end of the sentence. The parentheses are usually placed at the end of a sentence, between the last word and the period.
Here is an example of how to use MLA in-text parenthetical citation:
In-text parenthetical citation for a paper on cell phones and accidents:
The driver said in court that when he looked up from the cell phone he was dialing, he was three feed from the car and had no time to stop (Stockwell B1). A recent article by an expert on cell phones and accidents estimates that between 450 and 1,000 crashes a year have some connection to cell phone use (Sundeen 23-25). John Violanti of the University of Utah found a nine fold increase in the risk of fatality if a phone was being used in a vehicle (522-23).
Works Cited citations for these information sources:
Stockwell, Jamie. "Phone Use Faulted in Collision." Washington Post 6 Dec. 2000: B1+. Print.
Sundeen, Matt. "Cell Phones and Highway Safety." National Conference of State Legislatures. Dec. 2000. Web. 27 Feb. 2008 <http://ncsl.org/programs/esnr/cellphone.pdf>.
Violanti, John M. "Cellular Phones and Fatal Traffic Collisions." Accident Analysis and Prevention 30 (1998): 519-24. Print
References refers to the list of sources at the end of your paper that are cited in the text of the research paper. The Reference list appears at the end of the paper, is double-spaced within and between sources, and is arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name. Sources without authors are arranged alphabetically by title (omitting any A, An, The) within the same list. The first line of each source is flush with the left margin; second and succeeding lines are indented ½ inch (or five typewriter spaces) from the left margin.
Book: one author
Barnes, F.R. (1998). The hand: How its use shapes the brain, language, and human culture. New York: Pantheon Press.
Book: multiple authors
Ford, D.Y., & Harris, J. (2003). Multicultural gifted education. New York: Teachers College.
Sloan, F. A., Stout, E. M., & Liang, L. (1993). Hysteria beyond Freud. Berkeley: U of California Press.
Government author
U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). Statistical abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Encyclopedia article
Mandarin. (2000). In The Encyclopedia Americana. (Vol. 18, pp. 224-225). Danbury: Grolier.
Encyclopedia article with author
Mohanty, J.M. (2003). Indian philosophy. In The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th ed. (Vol. 21, pp. 191-212). Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britanica.
Newspaper article
Abbott, S., & Simpson, J. (2002, April 3). Now playing: babes in cyberspace. Christian Science Monitor, Extra ed., p. C1.
Marines charged in assault case. (2003, February 14). Houston Chronicle, p. 6A.
Magazine article
Armstrong, L., Yang, D.J., & Cuneo, A. (2008, February 28). The learning revolution. Business Week, pp. 80-88.
Franklin, C. (2008, July-August). The creative personality. Psychology Today, pp. 36-40.
Journal article
Hallin, D.C. (2003). Sound bite news: Television coverage of elections." Journal of Communication, 42(2), 5-24.
Lindahl, K.M., et. al. "Observations of marital conflict and power: Relations with parenting in the triad." Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 320-330.
Online book
Baker, Phil. (2009). Why outsource? From concept to consumer: How to turn ideas into money (pp.67-79). Retrieved from Safari Books Online database.
Encyclopedia article from a subscription service
Austen, Jane. In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 17, 2009 from http://www.xreferplus.com/entry/ebconcise/austen_jane
Howard, L. (1987). Zora Neale Hurston. In T. Harris (Ed). Dictionary of literary biography: Afro-American writers from the Harlem Renaissance to 1940. Retrieved January 26, 2009 from Literature Resource Center database.
Newspaper article from a subscription service
Seib, G.F. (2009, April 11). On green affairs, politics aren't all black and white. Wall Street Journal, Eastern ed., p. A.20. Retrieved April 23, 2009 from ProQuest Newspapers database.
Magazine article from a subscription service
Jost, K. (2009, June 17). Student rights. CQ Researcher, 19(21), 501-524. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from CQ Researcher database.
Kluger, J. (1996, February). Dr. Sigmund Doolittle. Discover, 17(2), 84-88. Retrieved April 1, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Journal article from a subscription service
Guber, D.L. (2002). Voting preferences and the environment in the American electorate. Society & Natural Resources, 14(6), 455-469. Retrieved December 15, 2008 from Academic Search Premier database.
Thompson, M.D., & Riggs, R.O. (2000). Institutional expenditure patterns and the facilitation of mission. Community College Review, 27(4), 1-15. Retrieved February 12, 2009 from Education Full Text database.
Website
The Daily Utah Chronicle. (2006). University of Utah. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com
Article on Website
Davidson, L. (2009, June 17). Bishop saves F-22 by one vote. Deseret News. Retrieved June 18, 2009, from http://www.deseretnews.com
Lubell, S. (2008, November 26). Of the sea and air and sky. New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com
If you have questions about how to cite your sources, or how to avoid plagiarism, ask a librarian!
