Citation Help

When creating and compiling citations, make sure you know:

Parts of a citation for a book:

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Citation:

• The basic, necessary information needed to locate the work.
  
  The style (e.g. MLA, APA) dictates the order and format of the information, but the
  basic elements necessary such as title, author, publication date and so on are generally universal.

In-text Citation:

• An attribution to quoted or summarized material used within the text of the paper.
  Contains a limited amount of information which varies by style.
  

Bibliography:

• List of all the citations referred to in your paper, usually at the end of the paper.
  
  MLA calls it a Works Cited page, while APA calls it References.

Annotated Bibliography:

• List of the citations along with a brief summary and evaluation of each work.

Depending on your field of study, the citation styles vary. MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, which is used for the humanities such as literature and history. APA is the style for the American Psychological Association and is used by the social sciences and education.

Many others such as the American Medical Association, American Chemical Association and many others have their own styles. However, for the purposes of undergraduates, APA and MLA are the most common styles used.

Many style manuals are available in print in the various libraries on campus. Search Mirlyn to find ones of interest.