You must document the sources you used in order to give recognition to the original author. Whether paraphrasing or using direct quotes, ideas that are not your own must be cited.
Your instructor will provide you with the preferred style for your course, or you may have the option to choose your preferred style. Ensure you remain consistent with style and formatting, and provide enough information for the reader to identify the work or cited material.
Confused by the different citation styles? This chart provides a side-by-side comparison of APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. To find a specific example, use the search function (Command + F for Mac, Control + F for PC)and type in the example you are looking for, such as, "Book," "Three or More Authors," "Journal Article," etc. This chart was created by Justin King Rademaekers. It is available from the OWL at Purdue website.
The APA manual is the official style guides published by the American Psychological Association. Copies of the manual are available in the Library and the Bookstore. APA is the reference system for psychology, business, and health disciplines.
In-text Citation (Generic Example) |
Reference List Citation (Generic Example) |
(Author(s), date) | Surname, first initial. (date). Title. Source Title. Publication specific details. |
Have you seen the online APA Citation tutorial? |
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OC Library APA Style Guide |
PDF version
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Author-Date System: Reference items are listed alphabetically at the end of the research paper. In-text citations are noted in the body of the paper. |
Most citation styles use an author-date citation format (ie. Smith, 2010). Follow the guidelines outlined by the style you are using.
Regardless of the resource you are citing, you will likely need an author, date, title, source, and specific format information (such as a volume number, page numbers, a URL, publisher, etc.).
The information required for your citation will depend on what you are citing (book, journal article, report, etc.) and the format (print, online).
Web page on a website:
Author. (date). Title. Retrieved from URL
National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Flying fish. Retrieved from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/flying-fish/#
In-text (in the body of your presentation)
(Author, year)
(National Geographic Society, n.d.)
Entire website:
National Geographic Society. (2013). National Geographic. Retrieved from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
In-text (in the body of your presentation)
"When citing an entire website or page, and not any document in particular on that website, it is sufficient to give the address of the site in the text (no reference list entry is needed)."
Examples:
Online Encyclopedia Article:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Title of chapter or entry. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx–xxx). Retrieved from http://xxxxx
Title of entry. (year). In Title of reference work (xx ed., Vol. xx). Retrieved from http://xxxxx
Online Magazine Article:
Clay, R. A. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back against the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology, 39(6). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/
Blog post:
Laden, G. (2011, May 8). A history of childbirth and misconceptions about life expectancy [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/05/a_history_of_childbirth_and_mi.php
In-text (in the body of your presentation)
(Laden, 2011)
Entry in mobile application (app) reference work:
Diabetes. (2011). In Epocrates Essentials for iPhone (Version 3.14) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://www.epocrates.com/products/iphone/index.html
Naproxen. (2010). In J. H. Deglin & A. H. Vallerand (Eds.), Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses (12th ed.) [Mobile application software]. Retrieved from http://www.skyscape.com/estore/productdetail.aspx?productid=219
In-text (in the body of your presentation)
(“Diabetes,” 2011)
(“Naproxen,” 2010)
Archived entry in Wikipedia:
Flying fish. (2011, February 15). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Psychology&oldid=413979409
(“Flying fish,” 2011).
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