Research Skills: How to Cite

Ask your instructor what citation style to use. The example below is a citation for a journal article in MLA style that was found in a research database.

Sample APA citation for a scholarly journal article.

In your academic work you are expected to provide references to the sources of information you used. These references are called citations. A list of citations is referred to as a bibliography. Providing citations serves several purposes:

• You show where you got the ideas, text, or images for your paper. That is being academically honest!
• Your bibliography shows how credible your work is, depending on the quality of sources you used.
• Your readers can locate the sources you consulted and follow your research trail.

The following are free, online citation tools:

• EasyBib -- Offers MLA bibliography generator for free. Also available as a free add-on in Google Docs.
• NoodleTools Express -- Generates citations for MLA, APA, and Chicago, but does not let you export to word processor or save citations. Advanced features require a subscription.
• Mendeley -- a free citation manager and academic social network.
• Zotero -- a free citation manager developed at George Mason University.
• ZoteroBib -- a free service that helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.

This game by the University of Washington will help you practice your citation skills in APA or MLA.