How to Use Citation Machine

Son of Citation Machine helps in searches for sources and citations.

Citation Machine, now called Son of Citation Machine, creates free bibliographic citations in MLA, APA, Turabian, and Chicago formatting styles. According to Son of Citation Machine, this online tool focuses on the needs of students, helping them to cite their sources easily. Students or professionals can quickly enter required information to generate both a bibliography and in-text citations for the body of a paper. David Warlick first created this tool as part of the Landmarks for Schools website.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet access
• Citation Machine website
• Source information for the citation(s)

Instructions

1. Gather your source(s) before you enter the Son of Citation Machine website. On the left side, click on MLA, APA, Turabian, or Chicago for the formatting style you need.

2. Note the terms PRINT and NONPRINT and the source types listed. For example, if you have an online journal article to cite in MLA, you can find it under NONPRINT. If you do not find your source type, click the "MORE" button under MLA (or other style) to select the source type needed.

3. Enter all the required information for your source type in the blanks provided. If the article has more than one author, click on "One Author +" in the top right of the screen. Note the instructions in red under each box: for example, MLA citations will instruct you to capitalize key words in the article title and APA citations will instruct you to enter only the initials for the author's first and middle names.

4. Press Submit. The citation form will appear within the text box; if you see errors, click on "Return to Form to Correct Mistakes."

5. If the citation appears accurate, copy and paste the bibliographic citation from the text box into your document. (Do not copy the citation below the text box.) Also copy and paste the sample in-text citation displayed in a separate text box at the end.

6. Format the citation within your document. Formatting may involve double spacing, hanging indentation, and font selection, depending upon your style of documentation. Proofread, correcting any additional errors. Your citation should be complete.

Tips & Warnings

• When citing online articles, check both the first and last pages for dates and authors.

• Clicking on "About Us" may reveal more information about a source.

• The quality of your citation will depend upon the accuracy of your input. For example, if you choose the wrong source type (magazine instead of journal) or confuse the article title with the source, these errors will create an inaccurate citation.

• Although Son of Citation Machine provides helpful instruction for input, some instructions may be incomplete. For example, for an APA article title, it states, "Capitalize only the first word." This advice may suffice for many article titles, but Purdue OWL Online explains that proper nouns also require capitalization for accurate APA citations.

References

• Landmarks Son of Citation Machine. David Warlick (2010)
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL): APA, Reference List: Articles in Periodicals (2010)

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL): General APA Guidelines (2010)
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL): MLA Formatting and Style Guide (2010)