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Style guides are sets of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents, like term papers, essays, newspaper articles, books, and websites. A standard style ensures consistency within documents, providing a convenient structure for readers and writers. 

Citation styles are a part of style guides. Citation styles dictate how sources are cited within the text of a document, and how those citations are formatted in the document and in the citation list (also known as a Works Cited page or a Bibliography). Most citations, regardless of the style, contain the same pieces of information. Most citations contain the article/book title, author information, publisher information, and DOI/URL for online resources. 

The following pages contain information on MLA and APA citations. If you have questions about citations, please contact your librarian. 

When in doubt, cite! Here are a few examples that you should cite:

  • Direct quotes 
  • Paraphrasing another authors ideas/writing 
  • Summarizing ideas, arguments, or conclusions from a source 
  • Any ideas that were not your own that were critical to developing your ideas 
  • Cite when building off of a program or algorithm 

There are cases in which you do not need to cite information:

  • Knowledge that is widely known and found in general sources 
  • Your original ideas, opinions, experiences, and thoughts 

Remember when in doubt, cite!

Generally, you will be required to include 

1. In-text Citations 

  • When you use the work of another person, you must cite it within the text. To do this, you will include an in-text citation that includes brief reference information that signals to the reader that you are using another authors ideas/thoughts/writing.

2. Works Cited page 

  • Your in-text citations will also be included on a works cited page (references, bibliography, etc.). The last page of your paper must include a list of the sources you used/utilized/consulted. 

Pre-Formatted Citations

You can get pre-formatted citations from Google Scholar, OneSearch, and Zotero. For information on copying and pasting sources, please see more information here. Pre-formatted citations can also be created from a DOI, ISBN, URL, or title using ZoteroBib.

ALWAYS CHECK PRE-FORMATTED CITATIONS FOR ACCURACY BEFORE SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS