12 Citation Basics
Citation Styles
You need to use a particular citation style that you must apply consistently throughout your paper.
In most cases, your professor will tell you which citation style to use for assignments in their course. At other times, you may get to choose a citation style. If you are unsure which citation style to use, check with your professor.
The three main citation styles used at LSUS are APA style, MLA style, and Chicago style.
APA style is often used in the sciences and social sciences.
MLA style is used in the humanities.
Chicago style is the preferred style for history. It comes in two variations: Notes and Bibliography style and Author-Date style.
Each style has its own rules about how to cite specific sources. Official manuals for each style are available from the library, either in print or online.
Where to Cite
Where do I need to cite?
Generally, you need to cite in two places:
- In your writing where you quote, paraphrase, or summarize the work of others or refer to specific audiovisual representations (data, images, tables, figures, video clips, podcasts, performances, etc.)
- In a list of sources at the end of your paper
The list of sources at the end of your paper is referred to by different terms in each citation style:
- APA style: References
- MLA style: Works Cited
- Chicago style (Notes and Bibliography): Bibliography
- Chicago style (Author-Date): References or Works Cited
If you cite a source only in the list of sources, it is a form of plagiarism. Likewise, you are committing plagiarism if you cite a source within your writing but fail to include it in the list of sources at the end of the paper.
Where do I place citations in my writing?
It is important to clearly distinguish your own ideas from those of others through appropriate placement of your citations. We accomplish this by using in-text citations. These in-text citations clearly indicate significant information about your resources such as the author, publication year, and page number.
There are a few ways to integrate in-text citations into your writing. The two most common ways to add in-text citations are:
Immediately after your borrowed information:
- APA uses in-text citations and the author/date information in parentheses
Example: There is also the argument that ….. (Mitchell, 1996)
- MLA uses in-text citations and the author/page information in parentheses:
Example: There is also the argument that …… (Mitchell 225)
- Chicago (Notes and Bibliography) uses footnotes indicated by a superscript number like this: 1. The footnote contains the full citation information.
Example: There is also the argument that …….1
- Chicago (Author-Date) uses in-text citations and places the author/date information in parentheses:
Through the use of the author’s information in an introductory phrase:
- APA uses the author’s name directly followed by the date enclosed in parentheses:
Example: Mitchell (1996) argues…
- MLA uses the author’s name with the page number enclosed in paratheses at the end of the sentence:
Example: Mitchell states ……..(225).
- Chicago (Notes and Bibliography) includes the author’s name and ends the sentence with a footnote:
Example: Mitchell suggests ……..1
- Chicago (Author-Date) places the date in parentheses after the author’s name:
Corresponding References
Your citations in your essay generally must contain a corresponding reference in your reference list, works cited list, or bibliography. They are organized in alphabetical order.
The example below shows how the three citations the student used within the body of the text would appear in the corresponding list of sources for each citation style. The first entry is for a book, the second for an online article, and the third for a book chapter.
1. APA Style: In-text citations (author/date) and corresponding References entry
| In-Text Citations | Corresponding References |
| Although Canada’s multicultural policy is liberal and democratic in its goals, there are reasons to be skeptical about its value. Detractors argue that the state should not enshrine differences into policy, but should rather aim to treat everyone the same, or more accurately, provide the conditions such that all members of society can have access to equal opportunities (Barry, 2001). One could even argue that a multicultural policy magnifies cultural differences instead of promoting a homogeneous diversity. The policy has also been attacked for promoting the interests of the English-Canadian majority (Day & Sadick, 2002). Mitchell (1996) goes even further with this, arguing that it is a policy designed to further the capitalist interests of the “elite”. At the core of this argument, however, is the question of whether or not the policy is any good… |
References Barry, B. (2001). Culture and equality: An egalitarian critique of multiculturalism. Harvard University Press. Day, R. F., & Sadick, T. (2002). The BC land question, liberal multiculturalism, and the spectre of aboriginal nationhood. BC Studies, 134, 5-34. https://doi.org/10.14288/bcs.v0i134.162 Mitchell, K. (1996). In whose interest? Transnational capital and the production of multiculturalism in Canada. In R. Wilson, & W. Dissanayake (Eds.), Global/local: Cultural production and the transnational imaginary (pp. 219-254). Duke University Press. |
2. MLA Style: In-text citations (author/page) and corresponding Work Cited list entry
| In-Text Citations |
Corresponding References |
| Although Canada’s multicultural policy is liberal and democratic in its goals, there are reasons to be skeptical about its value. Detractors argue that the state should not enshrine differences into policy, but should rather aim to treat everyone the same, or more accurately, provide the conditions such that all members of society can have access to equal opportunities (Barry 118). One could even argue that a multicultural policy magnifies cultural differences instead of promoting a homogeneous diversity. The policy has also been attacked for promoting the interests of the English-Canadian majority (Day and Sadick 30). Mitchell goes even further with this, arguing that it is a policy designed to further the capitalist interests of the “elites” (225). At the core of this argument, however, is the question of whether or not the policy is any good… |
Works Cited Barry, Brian. Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism. Harvard UP, 2001. Day, Richard F., and Tonio Sadick. “The BC Land Question, Liberal Multiculturalism, and the Spectre of Aboriginal Nationhood.” BC Studies, vol. 134, Summer 2002, pp. 5-34. doi:10.14288/bcs.v0i134.162. Mitchell, Katharyne. “In Whose Interest? Transnational Capital and the Production of Multiculturalism in Canada.” Global/local: Cultural Production and the Transnational Imaginary, edited by Rob Wilson and Wimal Dissanayake, Duke UP, 1996, pp. 219-254. |
3. Chicago Style (Notes and Bibliography): Footnotes (superscript number with full citation information in the footnote) and corresponding Bibliography entry
| In-Text Citations |
Corresponding References |
| Although Canada’s multicultural policy is liberal and democratic in its goals, there are reasons to be skeptical about its value. Detractors argue that the state should not enshrine differences into policy, but should rather aim to treat everyone the same, or more accurately, provide the conditions such that all members of society can have access to equal opportunities.1 One could even argue that a multicultural policy magnifies cultural differences instead of promoting a homogeneous diversity. The policy has also been attacked for promoting the interests of the English-Canadian majority.2 Mitchell goes even further with this, arguing that it is a policy designed to further the capitalist interests of the “elites”.3 At the core of this argument, however, is the question of whether or not the policy is any good… |
Bibliography Barry, Brian. Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. Day, Richard F., and Tonio Sadick. “The BC Land Question, Liberal Multiculturalism, and the Spectre of Aboriginal Nationhood.” BC Studies 134 (2002): 5-34. https://doi.org/10.14288/bcs.v0i134.162. Mitchell, Katharyne. “In Whose Interest? Transnational Capital and the Production of Multiculturalism in Canada.” In Global/local: Cultural Production and the Transnational Imaginary, edited by Rob Wilson and Wimal Dissanayake, 219-254. Chapel Hill, NC: Duke University Press, 1996. |
4. Chicago Style (Author-Date): In-text citations (author/date) and corresponding References entry
| In-Text Citations |
Corresponding References |
|
Although Canada’s multicultural policy is liberal and democratic in its goals, there are reasons to be skeptical about its value. Detractors argue that the state should not enshrine differences into policy, but should rather aim to treat everyone the same, or more accurately, provide the conditions such that all members of society can have access to equal opportunities (Barry 2001). One could even argue that a multicultural policy magnifies cultural differences instead of promoting a homogeneous diversity. The policy has also been attacked for promoting the interests of the English-Canadian majority (Day and Sadick 2002). Mitchell (1996) goes even further with this, arguing that it is a policy designed to further the capitalist interests of the “elite”.
|
References Barry, Brian. 2001. Culture and Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Day, Richard F., and Tonio Sadick. 2002. “The BC Land Question, Liberal Multiculturalism, and the Spectre of Aboriginal Nationhood.” BC Studies 134 (Summer): 5-34. https://doi.org/10.14288/bcs.v0i134.162. Mitchell, Katharyne. 1996. “In Whose Interest? Transnational Capital and the Production of Multiculturalism in Canada.” In Global/local: Cultural Production and the Transnational Imaginary, edited by Rob Wilson and Wimal Dissanayake, 219-254. Chapel Hill, NC: Duke University Press. |
