How to Cite Right Focus on MLA and APA

Why?Why cite? To lend credibility of experts to ideas and information To give credit where credit is due To allow readers to consult the sources for more information or ideas To show you are part of the conversation about the topic you’ve written

aboutWhy learn to make good citations yourself? So you know if the citations produced by Zotero or other tools are absolutely

correct and can adjust them if necessary So you understand and make the proper connections between in-text

citations and the list of sources (YOU have control!)Why are there different styles? APA is used in fields where how recently something was published is

important; hence, the DATE is emphasized in APA citations. MLA is used in fields where how recently something was published is not so

important; rather author and title are important and are thus emphasized

Two Parts of the System In-text citations List of sources at the end of the paperThese two items form a cross-referencing system. (An in-text citation leads the reader to an entry on the list at the end of the paper.)

In-Text Citations Typically uses signal phrases* plus (in most

cases) parenthetical citations Used for ALL use of outside material,

whether you quote it or put it into your own words, unless it is common knowledge

*Examples of signal phrases: According to J. Brown,As John Brown states/stated,

Examples of MLA In-Text CitationsAccording to John Smith, “Edgar Allan Poe’s detective stories introduced a staple of British literature into the American market” (98).

Marella Gomez states that 78% of first-year students surveyed in 2010 at Washington State University reported having written at least five essays throughout the year (55).

One researcher has concluded, “Too much consumption of potato chips resulted in high blood pressure due to high salt content in 80% of those studied “(Brownell 185-86).

(Note the use of present tense in signal phrases.)

Basic APA In-Text CitationsYanovski and Yanovski (2002) reported that “the current state of the treatment for obesity is similar to the state of the treatment of hypertension several decades ago” (p. 600).

Yanovski and Yanovski (2002) explained that sibutramine suppresses appetite by blocking the reuptake of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain (p. 594).

Obese children often engage in limited physical activity (Sothern & Gordon, 2003, p. 104).

(Note the use of past tense in signal phrases.)

List of Sources: The Basics MLA: The list is called the Works Cited (“Works” is

plural. If you have used only one outside source in a paper, call it the “Work Cited.”)

APA: The list is called References. Alphabetized Uses hanging indentation (every line except the

first line of each citation is indented) Contains a citation for every work you used (cited)

in the paper. A reader should be able to match up each in-text citation with a work on this list.

Entries should not be numbered.

Some Basic MLA Citations for the Works Cited PageBook:

Wineapple, Brenda. White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas

Wentworth Higginson. NY: Knopf, 2008. Print.

Print article:Blackburn, Robin. “Economic Democracy: Meaningful, Desirable, Feasible?” Daedalus

136.3 (2007): 36-45. Print.

Database article:Heyen, William. “Sunlight.” American Poetry Review 36.2 (2007): 55-56. Expanded

Academic ASAP. Web. 24 Sept. 2009.

MLA, cont.Article or other selection from a book-length collection:

Yamada, Mitsuye. “Guilty on Both Counts.” Asian-American

Literature: An Anthology. Ed. Shirley Geok-lin Lim. Lincolnwood:

NTC, 2000. 151-54. Print.Webpage:

American Library Association. American Library Association. ALA, 2008.

Web. 14 Jan. 2009.

Some Basic APA Citations for the References Page Book:

England, J. (2008). A billion lives: An eyewitness report from the frontlines of

humanity. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Print article:Zhang, L. (2008). Teachers’ styles of thinking: An exploratory study. The Journal

of Psychology, 142, 37-55.

Database article:

Eskritt, M., & McLeod, K. (2008). Children’s note taking as a mnemonic tool.

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101, 52-74.

doi:10.1016/jecp.2008.05/007

APA, cont. Article or chapter in a collection:

Denton, N. A. (2006). Segregation and Discrimination in housing. In R. G. Bratt, M.

E. Stone, & C. Hartman (Eds.), A right to housing: Foundation of a new social

agenda (pp. 61-81). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Document from a Web site:

National Institute on Media and the Family. (2009). Mobile networking. In Guide to

social networking: Risks. Retrieved from

http://www.mediafamily.org/network_pdf/MediaWise_Guide_to_Social_Networkin

g_Risks_09.pdf

Try Your Hand at a Citation Style Handout Exercise Questions