Citation Style Guides: Home

Citations include the information for the reader to find the original source of information. This is an important step in establishing credibility in your writing. Properly citing sources is an important part of academic honesty and avoiding plagiarism. Remember, you must cite any time you use information from a source which includes directly quoting the source, paraphrasing, or borrowing an idea.

Cite your sources because...

• Citing strengthens your writing.
• Citing reveals that you have researched your idea and synthesized all the information into your own body of work.
• Citing shows that you have reached beyond your own world and listened to the ideas of others.
• Citing someone else shows that other important people support your own thoughts. 
• By quoting oppositional thoughts, you demonstrate that you have thought about both sides of an issue.
• Citing makes you sound intelligent and will probably improve your grade.
• It is the RIGHT thing to do!

Source: "Tools for Students" @
<http://pleasedontcheat.com/tools/student-tools>.​

Ask your instructor which citation style you should use.  Detailed information (examples, quick guides, and useful websites) on the most widely used style guides, APA (6th ed. OR 7th ed.), MLA (8th ed.) and Chicago (16 ed.), are provided in separate tabs in this Guide.  

Generally, these guides are used in the following disciplines

• APA for Social Sciences, such as Psychology, Linguistics, Sociology, Economics and Criminology; Fine Arts and Art History, Business; Education; Criminology 
• MLA for English Studies - Language and Literature; Foreign Languages and Literature; Literary Criticism, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies
• Chicago Style for history and political science

If you have a specific question that isn't answered on the Guide:

• Contact your instructor
  Make certain that you are using the correct Style Guide

• Schedule an appointment with the Writing Tutor
  http://www.mtaloy.edu/library/peer-professional-tutors/

• Consult with a Librarian at the Reference Desk, by phone at 886-6478
  or email askalibrarian@mtaloy.edu

Citation builders are online tools that automatically format your resources in a specific style.  They are certainly time savers but REMEMBER TO CHECK the citations that these tools generate against the official style guide that you instructor requires you to use.  A common formatting error of most citation builders is that they rarely indent the second, and subsequent, lines of a citation.  This is required by nearly all citation style.  

Two easy to use citation builders are

• BibMe        http://www.bibme.org/
• Easy Bib    http://www.easybib.com/

Assistance with creating bibliographies in MS Word can be found at Microsoft 2010 and at Microsoft 2007.