Citations
M O D E R N L A N G U A G E A S S O C I AT I O N ( M L A )
A M E R I C A N P S Y C H O L O G I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N ( A PA )
General Citation Information
 Citation: An act of quoting. (“Citation”)
 When preparing to write a document with an assigned topic,
it is assumed that several information outlets will be
researched while gathering information.
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Take careful notes during the research process.
Keep track of all sources that directly influence the information used in the
document.
 To avoid plagiarism, it is imperative to give recognition to the
individuals from whom information was borrowed.
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Known as citing sources, each source must be listed at the end of the
document.
Plagiarize: to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own.
(“Plagiarize”)
General Citation Information
 Not only is it important to cite sources, but also to do so
in the correct manner. Two important formats used are:
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Modern Language Association (MLA)
American Psychological Association (APA)
 It is at the instructor’s discretion to decide which format
to use. Always check with the instructor first to see which
format should be used.
MLA and APA Basic Knowledge
 What is MLA?
 MLA is a standardized format for written communication that
focuses on page layout, stylistic technicalities, and citing sources in a
document. It is used in the humanities field in subjects such as art,
literature, and history, and is primarily directed toward an audience
of graduate students, academic scholars, professors, professional
writers, and editors.
 What is APA?
 APA is a standardized format for written communication that
focuses on the content organization, writing style, and references in
a document. It is used in the fields of social and natural sciences,
and is found in use in term papers, research reports, case studies,
and theoretical articles, among others.
Differences of MLA and APA
Modern Language Association (MLA)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Used for humanities: art, literature, history
Used in social and natural sciences
Requires in-text citations (author’s last name and page)
for quotations, paraphrases, or summaries of material
from print sources
Requires in-text citations (author’s last name, year, and
page) for quotations, paraphrasing, and references to
specific passages (pages not required for general
references)
Alphabetizes sources on a double-spaced Works Cited
page
Alphabetizes sources on a double-spaced References
page
Emphasizes the author and the title of publication by
placing them near the beginning of the entry
Emphasizes the author and the date of the publication
by placing them near the beginning of the entry
Follows conventional capitalization rules for article
titles
Does not capitalize all words in book and article titles,
but does capitalize names of magazines and journals
Prints full first names
Initializes the authors’ first names
Abbreviates months (except for May, June, and July)
Does not abbreviate months
Requires states in publication location, except for the
following U.S. cities: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los
Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco. (There
are also some international cities that may be listed
without country.) (If the publisher is a university and
the name of the state is included in the name of the
university, do not repeat the name in the publisher
location.)
Does not require states to be included in publication
location
(Ivy Tech, 2008, p. 10)
Overview of In-Text Citations
 In-text citations are found at the end of direct quotations
and paragraphs where information was borrowed or
otherwise paraphrased.
 In-text citations guide the reader to find more
information about the source used.
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In MLA, full citation information must be placed at the end of the
document on a Works Cited page.
In APA, full citation information must be placed at the end of the
document on a References page.
Providing a page number helps to direct the reader to the exact
location of the borrowed information, should they consult it.
MLA In-Text Citations
 MLA uses the author-page citation system. To insert a
MLA formatted in-text citation, include the author’s last
name and the page number from the original text. The
author’s name may appear in the sentence or inside the
parentheses. The page number, line number, or
paragraph number should always appear inside the
parentheses. When using the same cite multiple times,
do not include the author’s name after the first in-text
citation, only page number.
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… it was discovered that the information was logical (Smith 24).
Smith discovered that the information was logical (24).
MLA In-Text Citations
 When citing a direct quotation, provide the author’s last
name and specific page citation.
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“The case studies proved that the theory was accurate” (Smith 24).
 When citing two or more sources in the same paragraph,
arrange in-text citations in alphabetical order as they
would be found in the Works Cited list, separated by a
semicolon.
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Multiple studies (Johnson 23; Smith 43; Wilson 60) were conducted.
APA In-Text Citations
 APA uses the author-date citation system. To insert an
APA formatted in-text citation, include the author’s last
name and the text’s publication year.
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… it was discovered that the information was logical (Smith, 2003).
In 2003, Smith discovered that the information was logical.
Smith (2003) discovered that the information was logical.
 When citing a direct quotation, also include the page
number or specific location of the phrase from the
original text.
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“The case studies proved that the theory was accurate” (Smith,
2003, p. 24).
APA In-Text Citations
 When citing two or more sources in the same paragraph,
insert the author’s last name and the text’s publication
year. Arrange in-text citations alphabetically as they
would be found the Reference list.
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Multiple case studies (Johnson, 2001; Smith, 2003) were conducted.
MLA Endnotes/APA Footnotes
 Endnotes and footnotes are brief sentences of additional
information. While MLA and APA discourage the use of
endnotes and footnotes, it may be a requirement.
 To insert an endnote or footnote, a superscript number is
placed at the end of a sentence which will be elaborated,
following the punctuation mark.
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In MLA, endnotes are placed on a separate sheet before the
Works Cited sheet.1
In APA, footnotes are placed at the bottom of the same sheet or
on a separate sheet after the References sheet.2
MLA Endnotes/APA Footnotes
 Specific guidelines must be followed to format the
endnote or footnote sheet. Those guidelines are:
Center the word “Notes” (unformatted, omitting quotation
marks) at the top of the page for MLA formatting
 Center the word “Footnotes” (unformatted, omitting quotation
marks) at the top of the page for APA formatting
 The first line should be indented five character spaces, each
additional line should be flush with the left margin
 Double space all sentences
 Place a period and space after each endnote number for MLA
 Use a superscript number and space for APA (no period)
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MLA Endnotes/APA Footnotes
Notes
1. This is how an endnote for a MLA formatted paper should appear on a Notes sheet. Please remember to keep all endnotes
brief, as they can be distracting and costly.
2. This is how an endnote for a MLA formatted paper should appear on a Notes sheet. Please remember to keep all endnotes
brief, as they can be distracting and costly.
Footnotes
1
This is how a footnote for an APA formatted paper should appear on a Footnotes sheet. Please remember to keep all footnotes
brief, as they can be distracting and costly.
2
This is how a footnote for an APA formatted paper should appear on a Footnotes sheet. Please remember to keep all footnotes
brief, as they can be distracting and costly.
MLA Works Cited Page
 MLA formatting calls for a Works Cited page on a separate sheet at
the end of a document. All entries on the Works Cited page must
directly correspond to the work cited in your main text.
 Specific guidelines must be followed to format the Works Cited
sheet. Those guidelines are:
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One inch margins on all sides
Last name and page number in a running header
MLA recommends using a 12pt. legible font
Center the words “Works Cited” (unformatted, omitting quotation marks) at
the top of the page
Use double line spacing
Use a hanging indent paragraph style (first line is aligned flush with left margin
but additional lines are indented five character spaces)
Entries should appear in alphabetical order
Capitalize all major words of titles and subtitles, italicize titles of longer works
MLA Works Cited Page
Works Cited
(Author. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year): pages. Medium of publication.)
Johnson, George. “Do Case Studies by Health Professionals Provide Enough Information for Theories to be Proven?” Health
Professional Journal 10.5 (2012) : 45-55. Print.
(Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of publication.)
Smith, John. Proven Logical Theories and Beyond: Real Life Case Studies. Boston: Efficient Publishing Company of Greater
Massachusetts, 2012. Print.
(Editor, author. Name of Site. Version Number. Name of Institution, date of creation. Medium of publication. Date of access. URL *if
required*)
Wilson, David. Case Studies and Theories. Indiana University, May 2012. Web. May 16, 2012.
<http://www.casestudiestheories.iu.edu>
APA Reference Page
 APA formatting calls for a References page on a separate sheet at
the end of the document. All entries in the References page must
directly correspond to the work cited in your main text.
 Specific guidelines should be followed to format the References
page. Those guidelines are:
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One inch margins on all sides
APA recommends using Times New Roman 12pt. Font
Center the word “References” at the top of the page, unformatted
Use double line spacing
Use the hanging indent paragraph style (first line is aligned flush with left
margin but additional lines are indented five character spaces)
Entries should appear in alphabetical order
Capitalize all major words of journal titles
Only capitalize first word of title and first word of subtitle for books and
articles, italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals
APA Reference Page
References
(Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), pages.)
Johnson, George. (2012). Do case studies by health professionals provide enough information for theories to be proven? Health
Professional Journal, 10(5), 45-55.
(Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of book: Capital letter also or subtitle. Location: Publisher.)
Smith, John. (2012) Proven logical theories and beyond: Real life case studies. Boston, MA: Efficient Publishing Company of Greater
Massachusetts.
(Author, A. A. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved from http://Web address)
Wilson, David. (May 2012). Case studies and theories. Retrieved from http://www.casestudiestheories.iu.edu
Citation Builder
 Ivy Tech Blackboard offers an automatic citation building tool.
To use the automatic builder:
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Log into Blackboard (http://online.ivytech.edu)
Click the Library tab
Click on Richmond under the Regional Libraries section on left side
Click on Help
Click on Citing Sources
Click on NoodleTools
Register and sign in
Click on Create a New Project
Decide which format to use and name your project
Click on Create Project
Click the Bibliography tab at the top
Create your citations
References
References
American Psychological Association. (2012). The basics of apa style. Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org
Angeli, E. (2012, May 9). General format. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Citation. (n.d.). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster online: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citation
Ivy Tech. (2008) Ivy tech citation handbook: Citing sources with mla & apa. Retrieved from
http://wwwcc.ivytech.edu/shared/shared_librstatewidecc/pdf-files/citationhandbooks/flibrary-apa-mla-citationhandbook.pdf
Plagiarize. (n.d.). Retrieved from Merriam-Webster online: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize
Russell, T. A. (2012, May 9). Mla formatting and style guide. Retrieved from the purdue owl. purdue u writing lab:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Wikipedia. (2012, May 16). The mla style manual. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the_mla_style_manual