ELAR 970: Cite Sources

APA (American Psychological Association) citation style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources in psychology, social sciences, and health disciplines.

• Reference list: Include a full list of your sources at the end of your paper.
• In-text citations: Use in-text citations when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize to let the reader know that the information comes from another source.

See the MC Library guide on APA Citations or one of the other resources below for more information.
Always check with your course instructor to verify which style you should use when writing a paper.

MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources in literature and the humanities.

• Works Cited list: Include a full list of your sources at the end of your paper.
• In-text citations: Use in-text citations when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize to let the reader know that the information comes from another source.

See the MC Library guide on MLA Citations or one of the other resources below for more information.
Always check with your course instructor to verify which style you should use when writing a paper.

Note: Resources for both MLA 9th edition (2021) and MLA 8th edition (2016) are linked below.

CSE (Council of Science Editors) citation style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources in the sciences.

• Reference list: Include a full list of your sources at the end of your paper.
• CSE offers three systems of documentation for in-text citations:
  • Citation-Name system: number your sources alphabetically by each author’s last name in the reference list at the end of your paper. In the sentences of your paper, cite these sources using the number from the reference list.
  • Citation-Sequence system: number your sources in the reference list at the end of the paper by the order in which you refer to them in your paper
  • Name-Year system: list (but do not number) your sources alphabetically in the reference list at the end of your paper. In the sentences of your paper, cite these sources by giving the author’s last name and year of publication in parentheses.

See the MC Library guide on CSE Citations or one of the other resources below for more information.
Always check with your course instructor to verify which style you should use when writing a paper.

Chicago Manual of Style citation and format style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources in literature, history, and the arts. Chicago offers two systems of documentation:

• Notes and Bibliography
  • Bibliography: Include a full list of your sources at the end of your paper.
  • Notes: Include a note (footnote or endnote) when you you quote, paraphrase, or summarize to let the reader know that the information comes from another source. Use a superscript number in the body of the paper that corresponds to the footnote or endnote.
• Author-Date:
  • Reference list: Include a full list of your sources at the end of your paper.
  • In-text citations: Use in-text citations when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize to let the reader know that the information comes from another source.

See the resources below for more information.

Always check with your course instructor to verify which style you should use when writing a paper.

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the style manual for legal documents and academic legal publishing in the United States. How you use The Bluebook and format your citations will depend on the type of assignment you are completing. Use the rules in the "blue pages" for practitioner documents like court documents or memoranda. Use the rules in the "white pages" for academic legal writing like law review or journal articles.

See the resources below for more information.

Always check with your course instructor to verify which style you should use when writing a paper.

The final step in the research cycle is to cite your sources. This step shows your reader that you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information.

Citing sources provides credibility to your ideas and places them in an academic context. It is also an important part of academic integrity. Giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas avoids plagiarism.

MC Writing, Reading, & Language Centers
Tutors at the WRL Centers can provide feedback on your writing, including questions on properly citing your sources.

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Includes tutorials, sample papers, and sample bibliographies for all major citation styles.

MC Academic Integrity Resources