How to Cite Your Research Paper

Citing your sources is much easier if your research is well-documented.

Properly citing your sources in a research paper is a critical part of your grade, so dedicate the time and energy needed to get it right. This means making any necessary changes to the body of your paper, as well as adding any additional information in the form of notes and a list of references. A number of formats exist for styling your paper and citations, such as MLA, APA, Chicago Manual and Turabian. Use the format preferred by your instructor.

Instructions

1. Enclose all direct quotations in double quotation marks.

2. Type parenthetical in-text citations immediately after any quotation or idea borrowed from some other source. In-text citations typically contain the author's last name, year of source publication, and page number(s) if you are citing information that appears in a certain place within a source. For example: "It turns out that Fact A is true" (Smith, 2011). Note that this citation is placed before the period, as is done in MLA format; in APA format, in-text citations are placed outside the period.

3. Type numbered footnotes below the main text, or numbered end notes immediately following the main text. Using this alternative to in-text citations, each citation should be numbered with a superscript in the main text, so the reader can easily find the corresponding footnote or end note. Footnote citations should list the author's(s') last name(s), the title of the source and where the source can be found, including volume, issue and page number(s). For example: John Smith, "The History of Zebras," The Animal History Journal (in italics), 20 (Fall 2010), 71.

4. Type a Works Cited or Bibliography section following the main body and end notes sections. Note that a Works Cited section only lists sources that were cited in your paper, while a Bibliography section lists every source you looked at while conducting your research. These citations should be written using a hanging indentation, where the first line of a citation is left-justified and all subsequent lines are indented. These citations list the same information as footnote or end note citations, but unlike footnote and end notes, the author's name is inverted and commas are replaced with periods. For example: Smith, John. "The History of Zebras." The Animal History Journal (in italics) 20, no. 3 (2010): 50-86.

References

• Duke: MLA Citations
• Duke: Turabian Footnotes
• Duke: APA Citations