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HOW TO CITE YOUR SOURCES IN A RESEARCH PAPER

Every formal research paper includes a list of bibliographic citations describing the books, articles and other sources consulted. This list gives credit to those whose ideas you have referred to or quoted, presents information your readers can use to find further information and gives your paper scholarly authority. To avoid having to track down at the last minute any missing information needed for your bibliography or list of works cited, be sure to record the necessary information (on file cards or in a computer file) about every source you consult as you are doing your research.

Here is a table of what you will need for every source consulted:

Books	Articles	Electronic Resources
Author(s) or Editor(s)	Author(s)	Same information as for Articles, plus Web Site Address (URL)
Title Publication Date	Title of Article Title of Journal / Magazine / Newspaper
City of Publication Publisher	Volume & Issue Number Publication Date	Name of Database Name of Database Publisher
	Page Numbers	Date of Access

Examine the following examples of the three styles of citation most commonly used at CSUDH (APA, MLA and Turabian) for eight different library resources commonly used in preparing course assignments and research papers.

Uncertain which style to use for a particular assignment?
Check with your instructor. Once you know which citation style you will use for a specific paper, use only that style throughout the entire paper. Be consistent!

Wondering whether to underline titles or use italics?
Underlining in a contemporary document often signifies to a reader that the underlined text is a hyperlink to a World Wide Web document. Current practice is therefore to avoid confusion by simply italicizing titles or other elements that would traditionally have been underlined in scholarly literature. If your instructor prefers traditional underlining, simply underline where we have used italics!

The following are basic examples. They do not cover every possibility. To cite more complex examples or more specialized resources such as audiovisual items, manuscripts and legislative publications, check the websites on the Research and Writing Resources section of the CSUDH Cyberspace Reference Library and / or consult these print citation manuals:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed., 2001 (APA)
Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources, rev. ed., 1993
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed., 1999 (MLA)
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed., 1996 (Turabian)
N.B.: Examples of Turabian that follow are based upon “parenthetical reference / reference list” style; if you need help with “note / bibliography” style, see the Turabian Manual itself.

Examples

Click on one of the following links to see examples of each type. Alternatively, you can scroll down to see all the examples.

Citing a Book

APA	Holman, C. H. & Harmon, W. (1992). A handbook to literature. New York: Macmillan.
MLA	Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
Turabian	Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. New York: Macmillan, 1992.

Citing an Article or Chapter Contained in a Book

APA	Jeffries, S. (2000). The librarian as networker: Setting the standard for higher education. In D. Raspa & D. Ward, (Eds.),The collaborative imperative: Librarians and faculty working together in the information universe (pp. 114-129). Chicago: American Library Association.
MLA	Jeffries, Shellie. “The Librarian as Networker: Setting the Standard for Higher Education.” The Collaborative Imperative: Librarians and Faculty Working Together in the Information Universe. Eds. Dick Raspa and Dane Ward. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000. 114-129.
Turabian	Jeffries, Shellie. “The Librarian as Networker: Setting the Standard for Higher Education.” In The Collaborative Imperative: Librarians and Faculty Working Together in the Information Universe, eds. Dick Raspa and Dane Ward, 114-129. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000.

Citing a Government Document

APA	Hate crimes prevention act of 1998: Hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 105th Cong., 2nd Sess., 1998, 1.
MLA	United States. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Hearing on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998. 105th Cong., 2nd Sess. S. J. Res. 1529. Washington: GPO, 1999.
Turabian	U. S. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998: Hearing before theCommittee on the Judiciary, 105th Cong., 8 July, 1998.

Citing an Article from a Print Magazine

APA	Truscott, L. More than just a car. (2000). Fortune, 18 September, pp. 183-192.
MLA	Truscott, Lucian. “More Than Just a Car.” Fortune (2000). 18 September, 183-192.
Turabian	Truscott, Lucian. More Than Just a Car. Fortune, 18 September 2000, 183-192.

Citing an Article from a Print Journal

APA	Fernandez, K. & Rosen, D. (2000). The effectiveness of information and color in yellow pages advertising. The Journal of Advertising, 29 (2), 61-73.
MLA	Fernandez, Karen and Dennis Rosen. “The Effectiveness of Information and Color in Yellow Pages Advertising.” The Journal of Advertising 29:2 (2000): 61-73.
Turabian	Fernandez, Karen and Dennis Rosen. “The effectiveness of information and color in yellow pages advertising.” The Journal of Advertising 29, No. 2 (2000): 61-73.

Citing a Print or Microfilm Newspaper Article

APA	Block, A. (2000, January 14). If Davis fails, Bush may be white knight. The Los Angeles Times, p. M1.
MLA	Block, A. G. “If Davis Fails, Bush May Be White Knight.” Los Angeles Times 14 January, 2000, M1.
Turabian	Newspaper articles are rarely cited in a bibliography. See Turabian Manual for more information.Use this form if citation is needed: Block, A. G. “If Davis Fails, Bush May Be White Knight.” Los Angeles Times, 14 January 2000, Sec. M (Opinion), p. 1.

Citing a Journal or Newspaper Article from a Database

APA	Bildt, C. (2001). A second chance in the Balkans. Foreign Affairs, 80 (1), 148+. Retrieved January 16, 2001, from EBSCO database (Academic Search Elite) on the World Wide Web: http://ehostvgw9.epnet.com/
MLA	Bildt, Carl. “A Second Chance in the Balkans.” Foreign Affairs 80.1. (2001) 148+. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Information Services. 16 Jan., 2001 <http://ehostvgw4.epnet.com/>
Turabian	Bildt, Carl. “A Second Chance in the Balkans.” Foreign Affairs, 80, No. 1 (2001). 148+. Database online. Available from EBSCO Information Services, http://ehostvgw3.epnet.com/; Accessed 16 January 2001.

Citing a Web Site

APA	To cite an entire WWW site: simply include the address (URL) in parenthesis in the text of the paper. (A citation on your works cited or bibliography page is not required. See The APA website on electronic sources for more information about this requirement.) To cite a specified document from a web site:
APA	Lupack, A. (2001, January 15). Robin Hood films. The Robin Hood Project. Rochester, NY: The University of Rochester.Retrieved January 17, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/rh/rhhome.stm
MLA	Lupack, Alan. “Robin Hood Films.” The Robin Hood Project. University of Rochester. 17 January 2001. <http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/rh/rhhome.stm>
Turabian	Lupack, Alan. “Robin Hood Films.” The Robin Hood Project. Available from http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/rh/rhhome.stm . Accessed 17 January 2001.