Why do I need to cite my sources?
Below are links to PDF documents giving citation examples for MLA and APA styles.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association Staff ISBN: 9781433832161.
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the official APA style guide and is available at each campus. Remember, your instructor is the final authority for all citation questions.
Librarian-created guide to in-text citations and formatting the References page in APA style.
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 7th edition of the APA manual, offers examples of the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
Created by the Trinity River Library to assist you with formatting a paper using the APA style.
MLA Handbook by The Modern Language Association of America 9th Edition ISBN: 9781603293518
The MLA Handbook is the official style guide published by the Modern Language Association and is available at every campus library. Remember your instructor is the final authority for all citation questions.
Librarian-created guide to formatting in-text citations and building the Works Cited page.
This guide has been developed by the Southeast Campus Writing Center and Liberal Arts Division.
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (8th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
Created by the Trinity River Library to assist you with formatting a paper using the MLA style.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition ISBN: 9780226287058
There is a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style in the reference collection at each campus. This is the official CMS style guide. Remember, your instructor is the final authority for all citation questions.
Librarian-created guide to creating footnotes and formatting a bibliography in Chicago style.
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) covers a variety of topics from manuscript preparation and publication to grammar, usage, and documentation and has been lovingly called the “editors’ bible.”
The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format.
These sites have [limited] free, online tools that can help you format citations for your bibliography.
EasyBib is an online platform that provides citation, note taking, and research tools. We cite according to the 8th ed. of MLA, 6th ed. of APA, and 17th ed. of Chicago (7th ed. Turabian). Easy Bib is NOT a free service.
BibMe is a free automatic citation creator that supports MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian formatting.
Citation Machine helps students and professional researchers properly credit the information that they use.
Brought to you by Calvin College Admissions. We use the 9th ed. of MLA, 7th ed. of APA, and 17th ed. of Chicago (9th ed. Turabian).
Forgetting to document a source is considered plagiarism!
Many students wait until they finish writing their paper before citing their sources. They may find themselves “on a roll,” and won't want to stop to check or to cite their sources, thinking they will add their citations later. It is a better idea to cite your sources as you find them and use them. Use these tips to help ensure that documenting your sources is quick and easy!
The best way to make sure you do not forget to cite the sources you use - cite while you write!