EXAMPLES OF CITATION METHODS AND FORMATTING STYLES
Louis Komjathy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
University of San Diego
(1) APA (AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION)
APA uses in-text reference citations through parenthetical referencing. Most usually, this involves
enclosing the author’s surname and the date of publication within parentheses, separated by a comma,
generally placed immediately after the reference or at the end of the sentence in which the reference is
made. The standard format is as follows: (Author’s Surname, Year, Page Number). Note that page
numbers are preceded by “p.” or “pp.”
Citation Example: Buddhism in America is extremely diverse. One of the earliest organizations was
the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), which is associated with Japanese Jodo Shinshu (True Pure
Land School) (Seager, 2000, pp. 51-69).
Full bibliographic information is then provided in a “References” section at the end of the article. APA
style defines that the reference section may only include articles that are cited within the body of an
article. This is the distinction between a document having a “References” section and a bibliography,
which may incorporate sources which may have been read by the authors as background but not
referred to or included in the body of a document.
The APA style guide prescribes that the “References” section, bibliographies and other lists of names
should be accumulated by surname first. The “References” section is organized alphabetically by
surnames of authors/editors. The standard format is as follows: Author’s Surname, Initial of Author’s
Given Name. (Year of Publication). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Reference Section Example: Seager, R. (2000). Buddhism in America. New York: Columbia
University Press.
For more guidance see Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.; 2009)
(2) CHICAGO (CMS/CMOS)
The Chicago formatting style is flexible in that it offers writers a choice of several different formats. It
even invites the mixing of formats, provided that the result is clear and consistent. For instance, the
fifteenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style permits the use of both in-text citation systems and/or
footnotes or endnotes, including use of “content notes.”
That being said, Chicago-style usually includes references in footnotes or endnotes. Full
bibliographical information is provided in the first note, with subsequent information abbreviated. In
the case of papers/articles, a separate bibliography is redundant and therefore unnecessary. The
standard format is as follows: Author’s First and Last Name, Title of Book (Place of Publication:
Publisher, Publication Year), page numbers.
Citation Example 1: Buddhism in America is extremely diverse. One of the earliest organizations
was the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), which is associated with Japanese Jodo Shinshu (True
Pure Land School).(1)
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Corresponding Footnote: (1) Richard Seager, Buddhism in America (New York: Columbia
University Press, 2000), 51-69.
Citation Example 2: The Buddhist Churches of America was established by Japanese immigrant
priests in San Francisco around 1893, with the first American temple constructed in 1899.(2)
Corresponding Footnote: (2) Seager, Buddhism in America, 51-52.
For more guidance see The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.; 2003)
(3) MLA (MODERN LANGUAGES ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA)
The MLA formatting style is similar to APA. It generally uses in-text reference citations through
parenthetical referencing. This usually involves enclosing the author’s surname within parentheses,
generally placed immediately after the reference or at the end of the sentence in which the reference is
made. The standard format is as follows: (Author’s Surname Page Number). Note that no commas are
used.
Citation Example: Buddhism in America is extremely diverse. One of the earliest organizations was
the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA), which is associated with Japanese Jodo Shinshu (True Pure
Land School) (Seager 51-69).
Full bibliographic information is then provided in a “Works Cited” section at the end of the article.
MLA style defines that the reference section may only include articles that are cited within the body of
an article. This is the distinction between a document having a “Works Cited” section and a
bibliography, which may incorporate sources which may have been read by the authors as background
but not referred to or included in the body of a document.
The MLA style guide prescribes that the “Works Cited” section should be accumulated by surname
first. The “Works Cited” section is organized alphabetically by surnames of authors/editors. The
standard format is as follows: Author’s Surname, Author’s Given Name. Book Title. Place of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Reference Section Example: Seager, Richard. Buddhism in America. New York: Columbia
University Press, 2000.
For more guidance see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.; 2008)
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