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Citation Guide  Tags: citing citations mla apa  

A guide to creating citations for bibliographies and works cited pages
Last update: Nov 20th, 2009 URL: http://libguides.aacc.edu/citationguide  Print Guide  RSS Updates

Citing Sources Overview             Print Page
  
 

Definitions

A citation reflects all of the information a person needs to locate a specific source. For example, basic citation information for a book consists of the name(s) of author(s) or editor(s), the title of the book, the publisher's name, the place of publication, and the most recent copyright year.

A citation style dictates the information necessary for a citation and how the information is ordered, as well as punctuation and other formatting. See Citation Styles.

A bibliography is an organized list of citations.

In an annotated bibliography, each citation is followed by a brief note—or annotation—that describes and/or evaluates the source and the information found in it. See Annotated Bibliographies.

A works cited (MLA style) or references (APA style) list presents citations for those sources referenced or cited in a particular paper, presentation, or other composition.

An in-text citation consists of just enough information to correspond to a source's full citation in a Works Cited or References list. In-text citations often require a page number (or numbers) showing exactly where relevant information was found in the original source.

An abstract is a summary of an article or other work and cannot be used as if it were the full text.  You should not reference or cite an abstract in a paper or presentation, but instead find the full text.
 
 

NEW RULES

MLA-style and APA-style guidelines have changed recently, especially for citing sources accessed electronically. 

If you use a citation generator from a database or website, doublecheck, using this guide, to be sure the generator has used the current rules.

 

Gathering Citation Information

Whenever you consult a source while conducting research, you should record that source's citation information. If you make notes from the source, be sure to record whether you paraphrase or directly quote passages.

For Books

  • full name(s) of author(s) or editor(s)
  • full title of the book
  • facts of publication: city, publisher, latest copyright date
  • edition name or number, if there’s more than one
  • if applicable, name of series, volume number, and total volumes in the series
  • original publication information of any reprinted work
  • is using a specific section (introduction, forward, etc.), title, author, and page numbers of that section
  • page number(s) for information read or noted

(in addition, if you accessed an electronic book—or eBook—online:)

  • name of the website or database where you found the book (or excerpt)
  • if not from a database, the url (starts with http://)
  • date you accessed the book
  • a doi (digital object identifier), if available

For Periodical Articles

  • full name(s) of author(s)
  • full title of the article
  • full title of the journal, magazine, or newspaper
  • facts of publication: publication date, and, if applicable, volume and issue numbers
  • starting and ending page number(s) for the article
  • original publication information of any reprinted work
  • page number(s) for information noted

(in addition, if you accessed the article online:)

  • name of website or database where you found the article
  • if not from a database, the url (starts with http://)
  • date you accessed the article
  • a doi (digital object identifier), if available

For Websites

  • full name(s) of author(s) and/or sponsor(s) of the site
  • title of the website
  • original publication information of any reprinted work
  • date the website was last updated
  • date you accessed the website
  • url address (starts with http://)

For Other Sources (like films, music, photos, etc.)

  • consult a guide for the specific citation style you are using; see Citation Styles for more information
 
 

Research Assistance

If we can further assist you in your search for information, please drop by the reference desk or contact reference staff by phone at 410-777-2456 or by email at refdesk@aacc.edu.

 
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