Stuckey and Nobel (2010) noted, "it has been shown that music can calm neural activity in the brain, which may lead to reductions in anxiety, and that it may help to restore effective functioning in the immune system." |
|
Note: This example is a direct quote. It is an exact quotation directly from the text of the article. All direct quotes should appear in quotation marks: "...."
Try keeping direct quotes to a minimum in your writing. You need to show your understanding of the source material by being able to paraphrase or summarize it.
List the author’s last name only (no initials) and the year the information was published, like this:
(Dodge, 2008 ). ( Author , Date).
IF you use a direct quote, add the page number to your citation, like this:
( Dodge , 2008 , p. 125 ).
( Author , Date , page number )
Credit these sources when you mention their information in any way: direct quotation, paraphrase, or summarize.
What should you credit?
Any information that you learned from another source, including:
● statistics
EXCEPTION: Information that is common knowledge: e.g., The Bronx is a borough of New York City.
Quick help with apa 7 citations.
Download the In-text Citations presentation (above) for an in-depth look at how to correctly cite your sources in the text of your paper.
Paraphrasing activity from the excelsior owl, in-text citation quiz.
Chris Drew (PhD)
Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]
Learn about our Editorial Process
Are you feeling overwhelmed by referencing?
When you’re first asked to do referencing in an essay it can be hard to get your head around it. If it’s been a while since you were first taught how to reference, it can be intimidating to ask again how to do it!
I have so many students who consistently lose marks just because they didn’t get referencing right! They’re either embarrassed to ask for extra help or too lazy to learn how to solve the issues.
So, here’s a post that will help you solve the issues on your own.
Already think you’re good at referencing? No worries. This post goes through some surprising and advanced strategies for anyone to improve no matter what level you are at!
In this post I’m going to show you exactly how to reference in an essay. I’ll explain why we do it and I’ll show you 9 actionable tips on getting referencing right that I’m sure you will not have heard anywhere else!
The post is split into three parts:
If you think you’ve already got a good understanding of the basics, you can jump to our 9 Advanced Strategies section.
What is a citation.
An in-text mention of your source. A citation is a short mention of the source you got the information from, usually in the middle or end of a sentence in the body of your paragraph. It is usually abbreviated so as not to distract the reader too much from your own writing. Here’s two examples of citations. The first is in APA format. The second is in MLA format:
In APA format, you’ve got the authors and year of publication listed. In MLA format, you’ve got the authors and page number listed. If you keep reading, I’ll give some more tips on formatting further down in this article.
And a Reference is:
A reference is the full details of a source that you list at the end of the article. For every citation (see above) there needs to be a corresponding reference at the end of the essay showing more details about that source. The idea is that the reader can see the source in-text (i.e. they can look at the citation) and if they want more information they can jump to the end of the page and find out exactly how to go about finding the source.
Here’s how you would go about referencing the Schlebusch and Jakobsson source in a list at the end of the essay. Again, I will show you how to do it in APA and MLA formats:
In strategy 1 below I’ll show you the easiest and fool proof way to write these references perfectly every time.
One last quick note: sometimes we say ‘reference’ when we mean ‘citation’. That’s pretty normal. Just roll with the punches. It’s usually pretty easy to pick up on what our teacher means regardless of whether they use the word ‘reference’ or ‘citation’.
Referencing in an essay is important. By the time you start doing 200-level courses, you probably won’t pass the course unless you reference appropriately. So, the biggest answer to ‘why reference?’ is simple: Because you Have To!
Okay let’s be serious though … here’s the four top ‘real’ reasons to reference:
You can’t just write an essay on what you think you know. This is a huge mistake of beginning students. Instead this is what you need to do:
Top Tip: Essays at university are supposed to show off that you’ve learned new information by reading the opinions of experts.
Every time you place a citation in your paragraph, you’re showing that the information you’re presenting in that paragraph was provided to you by an expert. In other words, it means you consulted an expert’s opinion to build your knowledge.
If you have citations throughout the essay with links to a variety of different expert opinions, you’ll show your marker that you did actually genuinely look at what the experts said with an open mind and considered their ideas.
This will help you to grow your grades.
Your teacher will most likely give you scholarly journal articles or book chapters to read for homework between classes. You might have even talked about those assigned readings in your seminars and tutorials.
Great! The assigned readings are very important to you.
You should definitely cite the assigned readings relevant to your essay topic in your evaluative essay (unless your teacher tells you not to). Why? I’ll explain below.
So, cite the assigned readings to show your teacher you read the scholarly articles your teacher gave to you. It’ll help you grow your marks.
Okay, so you understand that you need to use referencing to show you got experts’ opinions on the topic.
But there’s more to it than that. There’s actually a real benefit for your learning.
If you force yourself to cite two expert sources per paragraph, you’re actually forcing yourself to get two separate pieces of expert knowledge. This will deepen your knowledge!
So, don’t treat referencing like a vanity exercise to help you gain more marks. Actually view it as an opportunity to develop deeper understandings of the topic!
When you read expert sources, aim to pick up on some new gems of knowledge that you can discuss in your essays. Some things you should look out for when finding sources to reference:
So, the reason we ask you to reference is at the end of the day because it’s good for you: it helps you learn!
You might think you already know a ton of information about the topic and be ready to share your mountains of knowledge with your teacher. Great!
So, should you still reference?
Yes. Definitely.
You need to show that you’re not the only person with your opinion. You need to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants.’ Show what other sources have said about your points to prove that experts agree with you.
You should be saying: this is my opinion and it’s based on facts, expert opinions and deep, close scrutiny of all the arguments that exist out there .
If you make a claim that no one else has made, your teacher is going to be like “Have you even been reading the evidence on this topic?” The answer, if there are no citations is likely: No. You haven’t.
Even if you totally disagree with the experts, you still need to say what their opinions are! You’ll need to say: “This is the experts’ opinions. And this is why I disagree.”
So, yes, you need to reference to back up every claim. Try to reference twice in every paragraph to achieve this.
Let’s get going with our top strategies for how to reference in an essay! These are strategies that you probably haven’t heard elsewhere. They work for everyone – from beginner to advanced! Let’s get started:
Referencing is hard and very specific. You need to know where to place your italics, where the commas go and whether to use an initial for full name for an author.
There are so many details to get right.
And here’s the bad news: The automated referencing apps and websites nearly always get it wrong! They tell you they can generate the citation for you. The fact of the matter is: they can’t!
Here’s the best way to get referencing right: Download a referencing cheat sheet and have it by your side while writing your essay.
Your assignment outline should tell you what type of referencing you should use. Different styles include: APA Style, MLA Style, Chicago Style, Harvard Style, Vancouver Style … and many more!
You need to find out which style you need to use and download your cheat sheet. You can jump onto google to find a cheat sheet by typing in the google bar:
Download a pdf version of the referencing style cheat sheet, print it out, and place it on your pinboard or by your side when writing your essay.
There are good and bad sources to cite in an essay.
You should only cite sources written, critiqued and edited by experts. This shows that you have got the skill of finding information that is authoritative. You haven’t just used information that any old person popped up on their blog. You haven’t just gotten information from your local newspaper. Instead, you got information from the person who is an absolute expert on the topic.
Here’s an infographic listing sources that you should and shouldn’t cite. Feel free to share this infographic on social media, with your teachers and your friends:
Always. Use. Google. Scholar.
Ten years ago students only had their online university search database to find articles. Those university databases suck. They rarely find the best quality sources and there’s always a big mix of completely irrelevant sources mixed in there.
Google Scholar is better at finding the sources you want. That’s because it looks through the whole article abstract and analyses it to see if it’s relevant to your search keywords. By contrast, most university search databases rely only on the titles of articles.
Use the power of the best quality search engine in the world to find scholarly sources .
Note: Google and Google Scholar are different search engines.
To use Google Scholar, go to: https://scholar.google.com
Then, search on google scholar using keywords. I’m going to search keywords for an essay on the topic: “What are the traits of a good nurse?”
If you really like the idea of that first source, I recommend copying the title and trying your University online search database. Your university may give you free access.
Okay, so I’ve told you that you should cite both assigned readings and readings you find from Google Scholar.
Here’s the ideal mix of assigned sources and sources that you found yourself: 50/50.
Your teacher will want to see that you can use both assigned readings and do your own additional research to write a top essay . This shows you’ve got great research skills but also pay attention to what is provided in class.
I recommend that you start with the assigned readings and try to get as much information out of them, then find your own additional sources beyond that using Google Scholar.
So, if your essay has 10 citations, a good mix is 5 assigned readings and 5 readings you found by yourself.
As a general rule, the newer the source the better .
The best rule of thumb that most teachers follow is that you should aim to mostly cite sources from the past 10 years . I usually accept sources from the past 15 years when marking essays.
However, sometimes you have a really great source that’s 20, 30 or 40 years old. You should only cite these sources if they’re what we call ‘seminal texts’. A seminal text is one that was written by an absolute giant in your field and revolutionized the subject.
Here’s some examples of seminal authors whose old articles you would be able to cite despite the fact that they’re old:
Even if I cite seminal authors, I always aim for at least 80% of my sources to have been written in the past 10 years.
How much should you reference?
Here’s a good strategy: Provide two citations in every paragraph in the body of the essay.
It’s not compulsory to reference in the introduction and conclusion . However, in all the other paragraphs, aim for two citations.
Let’s go over the key strategies for achieving this:
This is a good rule of thumb for you when you’re not sure when and how often to reference. When you get more confident with your referencing, you can mix this up a little.
You can, of course, cite one source more than once throughout the essay. You might cite the same source in the second, fourth and fifth paragraphs. That’s okay.
But, you don’t want your whole essay to be based on a narrow range of sources. You want your marker to see that you have consulted multiple sources to get a wide range of information on the topic. Your marker wants to know that you’ve seen a range of different opinions when coming to your conclusions.
When you get to the end of your essay, check to see how many sources are listed in the end-text reference list. A good rule of thumb is 1 source listed in the reference list per 150 words. Here’s how that breaks down by essay size:
Here’s two things you can do to instantly improve your reference list. It takes less than 20 seconds and gives your reference list a strong professional finish:
a) Ensure the font size and style are the same
You will usually find that your whole reference list ends up being in different font sizes and styles. This is because you tend to copy and paste the titles and names in the citations from other sources. If you submit the reference list with font sizes and styles that are not the same as the rest of the essay, the piece looks really unprofessional.
So, quickly highlight the whole reference list and change its font to the same font size and style as the rest of your essay. The screencast at the end of Step 8 walks you through this if you need a hand!
b) List your sources in alphabetical order.
Nearly every referencing style insists that references be listed in alphabetical order. It’s a simple thing to do before submitting and makes the piece look far more professional.
If you’re using Microsoft Word, simply highlight your whole reference list and click the A>Z button in the toolbar. If you can’t see it, you need to be under the ‘home’ tab (circled below):
You’ve probably never heard of a hanging indent. It’s a style where the second line of the reference list is indented further from the left-hand side of the page than the first line. It’s a strategy that’s usually used in reference lists provided in professional publications.
If you use the hanging indent, your reference list will look far more professional.
Here’s a quick video of me doing it for you:
The top students edit their essays three to five times spaced out over a week or more before submitting. One of those edits should be specifically for ensuring your reference list adheres to the referencing style that your teacher requires.
To do this, I recommend you get that cheat sheet printout that I mentioned in Step 1 and have it by your side while you read through the piece. Pay special attention to the use of commas, capital letters, brackets and page numbers for all citations. Also pay attention to the reference list: correct formatting of the reference list can be the difference between getting the top mark in the class and the fifth mark in the class. At the higher end of the marking range, things get competitive and formatting of the reference list counts.
Follow the rules of your referencing style guide (and that cheat sheet I recommended!) and use the top 9 tips above to improve your referencing and get top marks. Not only will your referencing look more professional, you’ll probably increase the quality of the content of your piece as well when you follow these tips!
Here’s a final summary of the 9 top tips:
Strategies for How to Reference in an Essay (9 Strategies of Top Students)
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A direct quotation reproduces words verbatim from another work or from your own previously published work. It is best to paraphrase sources rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit material to the context of your paper and writing style.
Use direct quotations rather than paraphrasing:
Instructors, programs, editors, and publishers may establish limits on the use of direct quotations. Consult your instructor or editor if you are concerned that you may have too much quoted material in your paper.
This page addresses how to format short quotations and block quotations. Additional information is available about how to:
Quotations are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 8.25 to 8.35 and the Concise Guide Sections 8.25 to 8.34
For quotations of fewer than 40 words, add quotation marks around the words and incorporate the quote into your own text—there is no additional formatting needed. Do not insert an ellipsis at the beginning and/or end of a quotation unless the original source includes an ellipsis.
Effective teams can be difficult to describe because “high performance along one domain does not translate to high performance along another” (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470).
For a direct quotation, always include a full citation ( parenthetical or narrative ) in the same sentence as the quotation, including the page number (or other location information, e.g., paragraph number).
Format quotations of 40 words or more as block quotations:
Researchers have studied how people talk to themselves:
Inner speech is a paradoxical phenomenon. It is an experience that is central to many people’s everyday lives, and yet it presents considerable challenges to any effort to study it scientifically. Nevertheless, a wide range of methodologies and approaches have combined to shed light on the subjective experience of inner speech and its cognitive and neural underpinnings. (Alderson-Day & Fernyhough, 2015, p. 957)
Flores et al. (2018) described how they addressed potential researcher bias when working with an intersectional community of transgender people of color:
Everyone on the research team belonged to a stigmatized group but also held privileged identities. Throughout the research process, we attended to the ways in which our privileged and oppressed identities may have influenced the research process, findings, and presentation of results. (p. 311)
One of the biggest shifts in studying when you head to university is the importance of referencing when you write assignments. You’re expected to show where you find the answers to your work, how you formed arguments and how you got to your conclusions. It’s also a way of showing that you have read around the subject and appreciate the context rather than just offering your own opinion.
But why we reference is one thing. HOW you reference… well that’s a whole new chapter (no pun intended).
Nothing is ever simple right? And referencing really does love to throw a spanner in the works – different universities, and even different subjects WITHIN the same university use a variety of referencing styles. Some types of referencing works better for certain subjects than others do, so it is very dependent on what your course wants to use.
To break it down, we’ve put together this quick reference guide to cover the basics of different styles of referencing, including websites, images, journals and books, in some of the more popular referencing styles. It’s not everything, but it’s a good starting point. Need more tips on your uni work? Check out our best revision techniques.
In this article:
How to reference a book, how to reference an image, how to reference a pdf, how to reference a journal article, citation generators, what’s the most popular referencing style.
You might find that websites are one of the most commonly referenced sources these days, especially with how many open source publications out there now. We’ve gathered some of the most popular referencing styles to make it that little bit easier.
The difference between referencing a book and a website is that books have all the printed information you need for citations – but websites can vary. So while we’ve included examples for the different referencing styles, you may need to tweak based on the website. It’s super important to make sure you’re sourcing from a reliable source, but if you find that a website doesn’t have an author, or doesn’t have a year, then amend to suit.
Format: Author surname, first name initial. (Year) Page Title . Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example: Bartlett, M. (2024) Freshers Guide 2024: What You Need To Know About Freshers & Student Life. Available at: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/advice/freshers-guide/ (Accessed: 11 September 2024).
Format: Author surname, first name initial. (Year). Page Title . Retrieved from URL
Example: Kah-Pavlou, L. (2024). 10 Fun Alternatives To Alcohol & Drinking During Freshers’ Week. Retrieved from: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/10-fun-alternatives-to-drinking-during-freshers/
Format: Author first name initial surname, ‘Entry Title’ ( Blog Name , publication date) <URL> accessed date.
Example: K Moody, ‘Best Revision Techniques’ ( Student Beans Blog, 15 February 2024) < https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/the-best-revision-techniques/ > accessed 11 September 2024.
Format: Author surname, first name. “Title.” Website name , URL. Accessed day month year
Example: Moody, Keith. “Using Mind Maps for Revision – The Ultimate Guide for Students.” Student Beans Blog, https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/students-guide-to-creating-and-using-mind-maps-for-revision/ . 11 September 2024
Format: Author surname, first name initial. Title [Internet]. Year published [cited Date Accessed]. Available from: URL
Example: Howarth, E. Your Must-Have Uni Essentials Checklist [Internet]. 2024 [cited 11 September 2024]. Available from: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/student-essentials-list-university-checklist/
Format: First initial, surname, “Page title.” Website Title. URL (accessed date, month, year).
Example: E. Howarth, “The Essential Uni Food Shopping List.” Student Beans Blog. https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/essential-student-food-shopping-list-cheap-living/ (accessed 11 Sept, 2024).
If you prefer to study with a paper and pen, you’ll probably spend a lot of time in the library exploring textbooks and anthologies to support your assignments. It can be a little simpler to cite a book, as you’ll have all the information you need printed inside, which is a relief if you’re scrambling to find an author on a website!
But each major referencing style has subtle differences between them, so check out how to reference books (and chapters within books) below.
Format: Author surname, first name initial. (Year) Book Title . Edition if application. Place of Publication: Publisher
Example: Thwaite, A. (1985). Poetry Today: A Critical Guide to British Poetry 1960-1984. London: Longman.
Format: Author surname, first name initial. (Year). Page Title . Publisher.
Example: Thwaite, A. (1985). Poetry Today: A Critical Guide to British Poetry 1960-1984 . Longman.
Format: Author surname first initial, Title (Publisher, Year).
Example: Thwaite A, Poetry Today: A Critical Guide to British Poetry 1960-1984 (London, 1985).
Format: Author surname, first name. Title. Publisher, Year.
Example: Thwaite, Anthony. Poetry Today: A Critical Guide to British Poetry 1960-1984. Longman, 1985.
Format: Author surname first name initial. Title. Location of publication: Publisher; Year.
Example: Thwaite A. Poetry Today: A Critical Guide to British Poetry 1960-1984 . London: Longman; 1985.
Format: First initial. Surname, Title . Location of publication: Publisher, Year.
Example: A. Thwaite, Poetry Today: A Critical Guide to British Poetry 1960-1984. London: Longman, 1985.
If you’re an art student, you’ll be writing a lot about your inspirations, emulations, crediting artists from all over the world, present day and past. It’s probably not the most creative thing you thought you’d be doing during your time at uni – but it’s still an important part of your work.
Format: Artist/photographer surname, first name initial. (Year) Name of piece. Available at: URL (Accessed Day Month Year).
Example: van Gogh, V. (1890). Portrait of Adeline Ravoux, the Innkeeper’s Daughter. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-portrait-of-adeline-ravoux-the-innkeeper-s-daughter (Accessed 13 September 2024).
Format: Artist/photographer surname, first name initial. (Year) Name of piece. [Format]. Site or Museum, Location. URL.
Example: van Gogh, V. (1890). Portrait of Adeline Ravoux, the Innkeeper’s Daughter. [Painting]. National Gallery, London. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-portrait-of-adeline-ravoux-the-innkeeper-s-daughter
Format: Author/Creator, ‘Title of image’ ( Name of website, Date published) <URL> Access date
Example: Vincent Van Gogh, ‘Portrait of Adeline Ravoux, the Innkeeper’s Daughter’ ( National Gallery) < https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-portrait-of-adeline-ravoux-the-innkeeper-s-daughter > Accessed 16 September 2024.
Format: Artist surname, First Name. Image Title. Year Created. Website Name, Numbers (if applicable), URL.
Example: van Gogh, Vincent. Portrait of Adeline Ravoux, the Innkeeper’s Daughter. 1890. National Gallery, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-portrait-of-adeline-ravoux-the-innkeeper-s-daughter .
So many publications, from ebooks to journals to poetry, are now available online in PDF formats. So if you struggle to get to the library, or find something in a pinch in your research, then PDFs can be a useful alternative.
Format: Author(s) or Organisation (Year). Title of Document . Available at: URL [Accessed Day Month Year].
Example: Student Beans (2024). Freshers Prediction Report 2024. Available at: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/StudentBeans-Freshers-Predictions-Report-2024.pdf [Accessed 16 September 2024].
Format: Title of document . (Year). Organisation. URL
Example: Freshers Prediction Report 2024. (2024). Student Beans. https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/StudentBeans-Freshers-Predictions-Report-2024.pdf
Format: ‘Title’ (Organisation, Publication date) <URL> accessed day month year
Example: ‘Freshers Prediction Report 2024’ (Student Beans, 15 August 2024) < https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/StudentBeans-Freshers-Predictions-Report-2024.pdf > accessed 15 September 2024.
Format: Author Surname, Author Forename. Title . Publisher, Year Published. Website Name , date page was published if known, URL. PDF download.
Example: Freshers Prediction Report 2024 . Student Beans, 2024. Student Beans , 15 August 2024, https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/StudentBeans-Freshers-Predictions-Report-2024.pdf . PDF download.
Format: Title [Internet]. City: Publisher; Year Published [cited Date Accessed]. Available from: http://Website URL
Example: Freshers Prediction Report 2024 [Internet]. London: Student Beans; 2024 [16 September 2024]. Available from: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/StudentBeans-Freshers-Predictions-Report-2024.pdf
Format: “Title,” website title. URL (accessed day month year).
Example: “Freshers Prediction Report 2024,” studentbeans.com. https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/StudentBeans-Freshers-Predictions-Report-2024.pdf (accessed 16 Sept 2024).
Journal articles will be your bread and butter when it comes to your assignments. You’ll find so much information in journal articles, and luckily most are available online these days, so it’s one of the more simpler ways to reference.
Format: Author surname, first name initial. (Year). ‘Journal article title’, Journal name, Vol.(Issue number), doi: .
Example: Huang, H., Tan, Y., Zou, X. (2024). ‘Genetically determined metabolites in allergic conjunctivitis: A Mendelian randomization study’, World Allergy Organization Journal, Vol.17(4), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100894.
Format: Author surname, first name initial. (Year). Journal article title. Journal name, Vol.(Issue number), doi: .
Example: Huang, H., Tan, Y. & Zou, X. (2024). Genetically determined metabolites in allergic conjunctivitis: A Mendelian randomization study. World Allergy Organization Journal, Vol.17(4), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100894.
Format: Author first name last name, ‘Journal article title’ (Year) Vol(Issue) Journal name <URL> accessed day month year.
Example: Xuyan Zou, Haiyan Huang, Yao Tan, ‘Genetically determined metabolites in allergic conjunctivitis: A Mendelian randomization study’ (2024) 17(4) World Allergy Organization Journal < https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100894 > accessed 16 September 2024.
Format: Author surname, first name, et al. “Journal article title.” Journal name, vol. X no. X, Year. doi URL.
Example: Zou, Xuyan, et al. “Genetically determined metabolites in allergic conjunctivitis: A Mendelian randomization study.” World Allergy Organization Journal, vol.17, no.4, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100894
Format: Author surname first name initials. Journal article name. Journal name. Year;(issue). Accessed day month year. doi URL.
Example: Zou X, Huang H, Tan Y. Genetically determined metabolites in allergic conjunctivitis: A Mendelian randomization study. World Allergy Organization Journal. 2024;(4). Accessed 16 September 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100894 .
Format: Author first name initial., surname, “Journal article name,” Journal name, vol. X, no. X, Year. Accessed on: day month year. [Online]. Available: doi URL
Example: X. Zou, H. Huang and Y. Tan, “Genetically determined metabolites in allergic conjunctivitis: A Mendelian randomization study,” World Allergy Organization Journal , vol. 17, no. 4, 2024. Accessed on: Sept. 16, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2024.100894
You can find lots of citation and reference generators online, and your own university will likely have a referencing guide document online or in the library in case you’re not sure.
If you’re using an online referencing generator, it’s always a good idea to cross reference with your university guide – just in case there are any errors. Just like your university essays, proofreading is a really key part of submitting an assignment, which includes your bibliography.
Harvard referencing is one of the most popular and common referencing style in the UK as it covers a lot of different subjects at university. Different subjects tend to rely on different styles of referencing as it suits the subtle nuance between a variety of topics and requirements.
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When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced .
To indicate short quotations (four typed lines or fewer of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page number (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the in-text citation, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation.
Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage, but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.
For example, when quoting short passages of prose, use the following examples:
When using short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in verse with a slash, ( / ), at the end of each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). If a stanza break occurs during the quotation, use a double slash ( // ).
For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2 inch from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark . When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)
For example, when citing more than four lines of prose, use the following examples :
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)
When citing long sections of poetry (four lines of verse or more), keep formatting as close to the original as possible.
In his poem "My Papa's Waltz," Theodore Roethke explores his childhood with his father:
The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We Romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. (qtd. in Shrodes, Finestone, Shugrue 202)
When citing two or more paragraphs, use block quotation format, even if the passage from the paragraphs is less than four lines. If you cite more than one paragraph, the first line of the second paragraph should be indented an extra 1/4 inch to denote a new paragraph:
In "American Origins of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Movement," David Russell argues,
Writing has been an issue in American secondary and higher education since papers and examinations came into wide use in the 1870s, eventually driving out formal recitation and oral examination. . . .
From its birth in the late nineteenth century, progressive education has wrestled with the conflict within industrial society between pressure to increase specialization of knowledge and of professional work (upholding disciplinary standards) and pressure to integrate more fully an ever-widening number of citizens into intellectually meaningful activity within mass society (promoting social equity). . . . (3)
If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text:
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipses, which are three periods ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space. For example:
Please note that brackets are not needed around ellipses unless they would add clarity.
When omitting words from poetry quotations, use a standard three-period ellipses; however, when omitting one or more full lines of poetry, space several periods to about the length of a complete line in the poem:
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Published on February 26, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.
To cite a book, you need a brief in-text citation and a corresponding reference listing the author’s name, the title, the year of publication, and the publisher. The order and format of information depends on the citation style you’re using. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago style .
Use the interactive example generator to explore the format of book citations in MLA and APA.
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Citing a book in mla style, citing a book in apa style, citing a book in chicago style, where to find source information in a book, frequently asked questions about citations.
An MLA book citation includes the author’s name , the book title (in italics, capitalized headline-style), the edition (if specified), the publisher, and the year of publication. If it’s an e-book , write “e-book” (or a more specific description, e.g. “Kindle ed.”) before the publisher name.
The corresponding in-text citation lists the author’s last name and the page number of the passage cited.
MLA format | Author last name, First name. : Subtitle. Edition, Publisher, Year. |
---|---|
Donaldson, Bruce. . 3rd ed., Routledge, 2017. | |
(Donaldson 73) |
You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to create your book citations.
Citing a book chapter in mla.
To cite a book chapter , first give the author and title (in quotation marks) of the chapter cited, then information about the book as a whole and the page range of the specific chapter.
The in-text citation lists the author of the chapter and the page number of the relevant passage.
MLA format | Author last name, First name. “Chapter Title.” : Subtitle, edited by Editor name, Publisher, Year, pp. Page range. |
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Nussbaum, Martha C. “Legal Reasoning.” , edited by John Tasioulas, Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp. 59–77. | |
(Nussbaum 65) |
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An APA Style book citation lists the author’s last name and initials, the year of publication, the title and any subtitle (in italics, capitalizing only the first word), the edition (if specified), and the publisher. Add a DOI or URL to the end of the entry if available (e.g. for e-books or books accessed online ).
In an in-text citation, state the author’s last name and the publication year, and a page number if you need to show the location of a specific quote or paraphrase .
APA format | Author last name, Initials. (Year). : Subtitle (Edition). Publisher. DOI or URL |
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Donaldson, B. (2017). (3rd ed.). Routledge. | |
(Donaldson, 2017, p. 73) |
You can also use our free APA Citation Generator to automatically generate your book citations. Search for a title, DOI, or ISBN to retrieve the details.
Citing a book chapter in apa.
To cite a book chapter , list information about the chapter first, followed by information about the book, including the book’s editor(s) and the chapter’s page range within the book.
The author of the chapter, not the editor of the book, is listed in the in-text citation.
APA format | Author last name, Initials. (Year). Title of chapter. In Editor initials. Last name (Ed. or Eds.), : Subtitle (pp. Page range). Publisher. |
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Nussbaum, M. C. (2020). Legal reasoning. In Tasioulas, J. (Ed.), (pp. 59–77). Cambridge University Press. | |
(Nussbaum, 2020, p. 65) |
Chicago notes and bibliography style uses footnotes to cite sources instead of parenthetical citations. These notes refer to a bibliography at the end giving full source details.
A Chicago bibliography entry for a book includes the author’s name, the book title and subtitle, the edition (if stated), the location and name of the publisher, and the year of publication. For an e-book , add the e-book format (e.g. “Kindle”) at the end.
Chicago format | Author last name, First name. : Subtitle. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher, Year. E-book format. |
---|---|
Donaldson, Bruce. . 3rd ed. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2017. | |
1. Bruce Donaldson, , 3rd ed. (Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge, 2017), 35. 2. Donaldson, , 73. |
Chicago also has an alternative style, Chicago author-date . You can see examples of book citations in this style here .
To cite a book chapter , start with the author and the title of the chapter (in quotation marks), then give the title (in italics) and editor of the book, the page range of the chapter, the location and name of the publisher, and the year of publication.
Chicago format | Author last name, First name. “Chapter Title.” In : Subtitle, edited by Editor first name Last name, Page range. Place of publication: Publisher, Year. |
---|---|
Nussbaum, Martha C. “Legal Reasoning.” In , edited by John Tasioulas, 59–77. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. | |
1. Martha C. Nussbaum, “Legal Reasoning,” in , ed. John Tasioulas (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 60. 2. Nussbaum, “Legal Reasoning,” 65. |
All the information you need for a book citation can usually be found on the book’s title page and copyright page. The main things you’re looking for are:
You should also check if the book specifies an edition (e.g. 2nd edition, revised edition) and if any other contributors are named (e.g. editor, translator).
The image below shows where to find the relevant information on the title and copyright pages of a typical book.
The main elements included in all book citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the title, the year of publication, and the name of the publisher. A page number is also included in in-text citations to highlight the specific passage cited.
In Chicago style and in the 6th edition of APA Style , the location of the publisher is also included, e.g. London: Penguin.
When a book’s chapters are written by different authors, you should cite the specific chapter you are referring to.
When all the chapters are written by the same author (or group of authors), you should usually cite the entire book, but some styles include exceptions to this.
Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.
Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.
The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.
The abbreviation “ et al. ” (Latin for “and others”) is used to shorten citations of sources with multiple authors.
“Et al.” is used in APA in-text citations of sources with 3+ authors, e.g. (Smith et al., 2019). It is not used in APA reference entries .
Use “et al.” for 3+ authors in MLA in-text citations and Works Cited entries.
Use “et al.” for 4+ authors in a Chicago in-text citation , and for 10+ authors in a Chicago bibliography entry.
When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1)
In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text.
For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). How to Cite a Book | APA, MLA, & Chicago Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-a-book/
Other students also liked, how to cite an image | photographs, figures, diagrams, how to cite a journal article | apa, mla, & chicago examples, how to cite a lecture | apa, mla & chicago examples, scribbr apa citation checker.
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In-text citations most commonly take the form of short parenthetical statements indicating the author and publication year of the source, as well as the page number if relevant. Example: APA Style in-text citation (Jackson, 2005, p. 16) We also offer a free citation generator and in-depth guides to the main citation styles.
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
Basic in-text citation rules. In MLA Style, referring to the works of others in your text is done using parenthetical citations. This method involves providing relevant source information in parentheses whenever a sentence uses a quotation or paraphrase. Usually, the simplest way to do this is to put all of the source information in parentheses ...
A citation is needed whenever you integrate a source into your writing. This usually means quoting or paraphrasing: To quote a source, copy a short piece of text word for word and put it inside quotation marks. To paraphrase a source, put the text into your own words. It's important that the paraphrase is not too close to the original wording.
An in-text citation is a source citation in academic writing that is placed directly in the body text, typically at the end of the related sentence, clause, or phrase. This is an alternative style to footnotes, which cite sources at the bottom of a page, or endnotes, which cite sources at the end of a section, chapter, or entire work.
When learning how to write an academic essay with references, you must identify reliable sources that support your argument. As you read, think critically and evaluate sources for: Accuracy. Objectivity. Currency. Authority. Keep detailed notes on the sources so that you can easily find them again, if needed.
Including page numbers in citations. When you quote directly from a source or paraphrase a specific passage, your in-text citation must include a page number to specify where the relevant passage is located.. Use 'p.' for a single page and 'pp.' for a page range: Meanwhile, another commentator asserts that the economy is 'on the downturn' (Singh, 2015, p. 13).
In-Text Citations. Resources on using in-text citations in APA style. The Basics General guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay Author/Authors How to refer to authors in-text, including single and multiple authors, unknown authors, organizations, etc. Reference List. Resources on writing an APA style reference list ...
Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines: Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides. Double-space all text, including headings. Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches. Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.). Include a page number on every page.
Using In-text Citation. Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list. APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005).
When you cite a source with up to three authors, cite all authors' names. For four or more authors, list only the first name, followed by ' et al. ': Number of authors. In-text citation example. 1 author. (Davis, 2019) 2 authors. (Davis and Barrett, 2019) 3 authors.
In-text citations are quick references to your sources. In Harvard referencing, you use the author's surname and the date of publication in brackets. Up to three authors are included in a Harvard in-text citation. If the source has more than three authors, include the first author followed by ' et al. '.
In parenthetical citations, use only the author's surname. For sources with two authors, use two surnames (e.g., Strine and Radick). For sources with three or more author names, use the first author's surname followed by "et al.". The title of the essay is enclosed in double quotation marks and uses title case.
In-text citations point the reader to the sources' information on the references page. The in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If you use a direct quote, the page number is also provided. More information can be found on p. 253 of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American ...
When citing a paraphrase or summary from an eBook, the citation should include the author last name and date of publication.. When quoting an eBook without page numbers, your in-text citation needs to include the author's last name, year, and the most direct location of the quote, such as a chapter or section title and the paragraph number.. For example:
Types of In-Text Citations: Narrative vs Parenthetical A narrative citation gives the author's name as part of the sentence.. Example of a Narrative Citation: According to Edwards (2017), a lthough Smith and Carlos's protest at the 1968 Olympics initially drew widespread criticism, it also led to fundamental reforms in the organizational structure of American amateur athletics.
Cite your MLA source. Start by applying these MLA format guidelines to your document: Use an easily readable font like 12 pt Times New Roman. Set 1 inch page margins. Use double line spacing. Include a ½" indent for new paragraphs. Include a four-line MLA heading on the first page. Center the paper's title.
So, if your essay has 10 citations, a good mix is 5 assigned readings and 5 readings you found by yourself. 5. Cite Newer Sources. As a general rule, the newer the source the better. The best rule of thumb that most teachers follow is that you should aim to mostly cite sources from the past 10 years. I usually accept sources from the past 15 ...
If the quotation precedes the narrative citation, put the page number or location information after the year and a comma. If the citation appears at the end of a sentence, put the end punctuation after the closing parenthesis for the citation. If the quotation includes citations, see Section 8.32 of the Publication Manual.
Citing a website in APA Style. An APA reference for a webpage lists the author's last name and initials, the full date of publication, the title of the page (in italics), the website name (in plain text), and the URL.. The in-text citation lists the author's last name and the year. If it's a long page, you may include a locator to identify the quote or paraphrase (e.g. a paragraph number ...
You can find lots of citation and reference generators online, and your own university will likely have a referencing guide document online or in the library in case you're not sure. If you're using an online referencing generator, it's always a good idea to cross reference with your university guide - just in case there are any errors.
Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2 inch from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)
Citing a quote in APA Style. To cite a direct quote in APA, you must include the author's last name, the year, and a page number, all separated by commas. If the quote appears on a single page, use "p."; if it spans a page range, use "pp.". An APA in-text citation can be parenthetical or narrative.
To cite a book chapter, start with the author and the title of the chapter (in quotation marks), then give the title (in italics) and editor of the book, the page range of the chapter, the location and name of the publisher, and the year of publication. Chicago format. Author last name, First name. " Chapter Title.".