How to Cite
Right
Focus on MLA and APA
Why?
Why cite?
 To lend credibility of experts to ideas and information
 To give credit where credit is due
 To allow readers to consult the sources for more information or ideas
 To show you are part of the conversation about the topic you’ve written
about
Why learn to make good citations yourself?
 So you know if the citations produced by Zotero or other tools are absolutely
correct and can adjust them if necessary
 So you understand and make the proper connections between in-text
citations and the list of sources (YOU have control!)
Why are there different styles?
 APA is used in fields where how recently something was published is
important; hence, the DATE is emphasized in APA citations.
 MLA is used in fields where how recently something was published is not so
important; rather author and title are important and are thus emphasized
Two Parts of the System
 In-text
citations
 List of sources at the end of the paper
These two items form a cross-referencing
system. (An in-text citation leads the reader
to an entry on the list at the end of the
paper.)
In-Text Citations


Typically uses signal phrases* plus (in most
cases) parenthetical citations
Used for ALL use of outside material, whether
you quote it or put it into your own words,
unless it is common knowledge
*Examples of signal phrases:
According to J. Brown,
As John Brown states/stated,
Examples of MLA In-Text
Citations
According to John Smith, “Edgar Allan Poe’s detective stories
introduced a staple of British literature into the American
market” (98).
Marella Gomez states that 78% of first-year students surveyed
in 2010 at Washington State University reported having written
at least five essays throughout the year (55).
One researcher has concluded, “Too much consumption of
potato chips resulted in high blood pressure due to high salt
content in 80% of those studied “(Brownell 185-86).
(Note the use of present tense in signal phrases.)
Basic APA In-Text Citations
Yanovski and Yanovski (2002) reported that “the current state
of the treatment for obesity is similar to the state of the
treatment of hypertension several decades ago” (p. 600).
Yanovski and Yanovski (2002) explained that sibutramine
suppresses appetite by blocking the reuptake of the
neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain
(p. 594).
Obese children often engage in limited physical activity
(Sothern & Gordon, 2003, p. 104).
(Note the use of past tense in signal phrases.)
List of Sources: The Basics






MLA: The list is called the Works Cited (“Works” is
plural. If you have used only one outside source in
a paper, call it the “Work Cited.”)
APA: The list is called References.
Alphabetized
Uses hanging indentation (every line except the
first line of each citation is indented)
Contains a citation for every work you used (cited)
in the paper. A reader should be able to match
up each in-text citation with a work on this list.
Entries should not be numbered.
Some Basic MLA Citations for
the Works Cited Page
Book:
Wineapple, Brenda. White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas
Wentworth Higginson. NY: Knopf, 2008. Print.
Print article:
Blackburn, Robin. “Economic Democracy: Meaningful, Desirable, Feasible?”
Daedalus 136.3 (2007): 36-45. Print.
Database article:
Heyen, William. “Sunlight.” American Poetry Review 36.2 (2007): 55-56. Expanded
Academic ASAP. Web. 24 Sept. 2009.
MLA, cont.
Article or other selection from a book-length
collection:
Yamada, Mitsuye. “Guilty on Both Counts.” Asian-American Literature:
An Anthology. Ed. Shirley Geok-lin Lim. Lincolnwood: NTC, 2000.
151-54. Print.
Webpage:
American Library Association. American Library Association. ALA, 2008.
Web. 14 Jan. 2009.
Some Basic APA Citations for
the References Page

Book:
England, J. (2008). A billion lives: An eyewitness report from the frontlines of humanity.
New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Print article:
Zhang, L. (2008). Teachers’ styles of thinking: An exploratory study. The Journal of
Psychology, 142, 37-55.

Database article:
Eskritt, M., & McLeod, K. (2008). Children’s note taking as a mnemonic tool. Journal of
Experimental Child Psychology, 101, 52-74. doi:10.1016/jecp.2008.05/007
APA, cont.

Article or chapter in a collection:
Denton, N. A. (2006). Segregation and Discrimination in housing. In R. G. Bratt, M. E.
Stone, & C. Hartman (Eds.), A right to housing: Foundation of a new social agenda
(pp. 61-81). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Document from a Web site:
National Institute on Media and the Family. (2009). Mobile networking. In Guide to social
networking: Risks. Retrieved from
http://www.mediafamily.org/network_pdf/MediaWise_Guide_to_Social_Networkin
g_Risks_09.pdf
Try Your Hand at a Citation
Style
 Handout
Exercise
 Questions