MLA and APA

Citation Formatting

Citation Formatting

If you use information that is not common knowledge – summaries, facts, quotations, or ideas – you must give credit to your source and document where the information can be found.

Citation formatting enables you to do this

AKA: citing sources, documenting information

Purposes of Citation Formatting

Documents your sources of informationGives credit to others for their ideasDistinguishes YOUR ideas from those of

othersPrevents plagiarism

Types of Citation Formatting

Humanities – MLASocial Sciences – APAHistory – ChicagoSciences - CSE

Types of Citation Formatting

Humanities – MLASocial Sciences – APAHistory – ChicagoSciences - CSE

MLA or APA Citation Formatting

There are TWO parts:In-text citationsGive credit to your sources within the text

Listing of sources of information at the end

Tells the reader exactly where to find the information

MLA

MLA In-Text CitationsFormat #1Signal phrase introduces the information

ANDPage or other reference appears after the

information

Format #2Parenthetical reference only

MLA In-Text CitationsFormat #1Kwon points out that the Fourth Amendment

does not give employees any protections from employers’ “unreasonable searches and seizures” (6).

Format #2Companies can monitor employees’ keystrokes

without legal penalty, but they may have to combat low morale as a result (Lane 129)

(Hacker 120)

Works CitedListing of citations contained in your paper

Alphabetical by author

The formats vary depending on whether your source of information is a book, a journal article, a Web site, etc.

The list appears at the end of your paper

Example from Diana Hacker

APA

APA In-Text CitationsAuthor’s last name

Year of publication

Page number (for quotations)

APA In-Text Citation ExamplesAccording to Smith (1999), the best apple

pie is made at home.

The best apple pie is made at home (Smith, 1999).

Smith (1999) suggests that “the best apple pie is made at home” (p. 4).

ReferencesListing of citations contained in your paper

Alphabetical by author

The formats vary depending on whether your source of information is a book, a journal article, a Web site, etc.

The list appears at the end of your paper

Example from Diana Hacker

Reminders…If you mention someone else’s ideas in

your paper you must indicate that with a citation

Be sure to use quotation marks around the phrases of others

Any in-text citation you use should correspond to a detailed listing in your Works Cited or References

BibliographyIt is different from a Works Cited list or a

References list

A listing of ALL of the sources of information that you’re reading (or read) for your paper.

Often this is requested by instructors before a paper is due to see what kinds of resources you’ve found for a project

Helpful ResourcesESC Library

Diana Hacker Pocket Manual

Diana Hacker Web Sitehttp://dianahacker.com/resdoc