You don’t have to cite commonly known and accepted facts. However, you always need to cite ideas. If you’re not sure whether a fact is commonly known or not, err on the side of caution and provide a citation. In most cases, the in-text citation falls at the end of the sentence that contains the information from the source. Some citation styles, however, require the citation immediately after the paraphrased information, even if that happens to be in the middle of a sentence.
Modern Language Association (MLA) style uses an author-page number format for parenthetical citations in the body of your paper. If the source isn’t paginated, simply leave that part out and include only the author’s last name. American Psychological Association (APA) style uses an author-date format for parenthetical citations in the body of your paper. [4] X Research source The Chicago style accepts 2 different methods of in-text citation. You may either use the author-date format, similar to APA style, or you may have footnotes and a bibliography. Chicago-style footnotes include the same information as the full citation in the bibliography, but with slightly different formatting. [5] X Research source
The only exception to this rule is a longer block quote set off from the rest of your text. A block quote only requires one citation, at the very end. Generally, you want to avoid having several sentences in a row that paraphrase from the same source. Type a sentence paraphrasing from the source, then add your own thoughts or analysis of that information in the next sentence.
You can also use this format to indicate several sources with more information about a topic that is related to your topic, but beyond the scope of your research. You generally don’t have to include full citations to such sources in your reference list.
If the source is not paginated, some styles require you to use an abbreviation, such as “n. p. " Check your style guide to be sure. MLA and Chicago, among other styles, do not require the abbreviation “p. " or “pp. " before page numbers. However, APA and others do. If you’re citing a video or audio recording that has a runtime, include the timestamp range for the specific material you’re quoting. [10] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
Example sentence with signal phrase, APA style: Jones (1998) found “students often had difficulty using APA style” (p. 199). Same sentence without signal phrase, APA style: Research has shown that “students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
Your reference list (also called a bibliography or “Works Cited”) includes a full citation for every research source you used for your research project. If you compile the list before you start writing, the writing process will be less disjointed, and you’ll run less of a risk of leaving something off. Once you finish writing your paper, go through it and place a mark next to each reference on your reference list that appears in an in-text citation. If any of the sources on your reference list are unmarked, remove them from your reference list.
Look over the rules before you start building your reference list, especially if you’re using a different style for the first time. If the rules seem confusing, ask your instructor or a reference librarian for a sample reference list written using that style.
For most common citation styles, sources are listed in alphabetical order by the first word in the full citation (usually the author’s last name). If you happen to use more than one work by the same author, list them in chronological order starting with the earliest publication date. In rare instances, you may need to include a source in your references that you never cited in the text of your paper. For example, if you’re writing a paper about dictatorial regimes and describe them as “Orwellian,” you may want to include George Orwell’s novel 1984 in your reference list, even though you never cited the novel directly. [15] X Research source
Try to avoid looking at the source at all while you’re writing. You might inadvertently plagiarize the original content – especially if the author is a particularly efficient writer. Look at the original passage after you’ve finished your paraphrase to ensure your wording is sufficiently different.
For example, suppose your source says “Students have difficulty with new citation styles, usually because they didn’t buy a copy of the style guide or ask their instructors enough questions. " You can move the start to the middle and paraphrase to say “When students don’t have their own copy of the style guide, they have more difficulty adapting to a new citation style. "
For example, suppose your source equates EU import rules with “trade protectionism” rather than “reasonable consumer protection. " An effective paraphrase could state “EU import rules seem to benefit EU companies more than consumers. " After you’ve changed the structure of the original passage, go back to the source and underline all phrases in your paraphrase that are identical to the original. Try to change as many of these as possible. You can use a thesaurus to find alternate words, but stay away from direct synonyms. For example, if the original source uses the word “feline,” changing that word to “cat” won’t necessarily help improve your paraphrase.
Example: It would be easy for US companies to conclude that EU import restrictions and labeling rules amount to “trade protectionism,” because they do little to assist consumers.
Different styles vary in how long a direct quote can be before you have to set it off as a block quote. Generally, you can quote in line with your text if the quote is fewer than 40 words, or the equivalent of a line or two of text.
When you use a block quote, you only need a citation at the end of the block, regardless of how many sentences you quote. Generally, block quotes should be limited. Only use them if absolutely necessary, and try to limit the length to 3 or 4 sentences at the most.
