APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in the social sciences, education, nursing, and business. This guide covers the 7th edition.
In-text citations are embedded in your paper to indicate information that you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing from one of your sources.
APA uses author-date format in parentheses.
One author: (Smith, 2023)
Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023)
Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023)
Direct quote: (Smith, 2023, p. 45)
If the author is named in the sentence: Smith (2023) argues that...
The reference list appears at the end of the paper on a new page titled "References" (centered, bold). Entries are listed alphabetically and use a hanging indent (where the second line of each citation is indented 0.5 inches). If you have a source that does not fit one of the formats below please refer to one of the additional help resources below.
Book (single author) Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter for subtitle. Publisher.
Smith, J. M. (2022). Research methods in psychology: A practical guide. Academic Press.
Book (two authors) Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of work. Publisher.
Smith, J. M., & Jones, K. L. (2021). Understanding human behavior. Norton.
Journal article with DOI Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Williams, R. T., & Chen, S. (2023). Social media and adolescent mental health. Journal of Psychology, 45(2), 112–128. https://doi.org/10.1000/example
Webpage Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
American Psychological Association. (2023, March 15). How to cite sources in APA style. https://www.apa.org/example
Database article (same as print — do not include database name) Use the same format as the journal article. Only include a DOI if available.
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is commonly used in the humanities, especially in English, literature, and writing courses. This guide covers the 9th edition.
In-text citations are embedded in your paper to indicate information that you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing from one of your sources.
MLA uses author-page format in parentheses.
One author: (Smith 45)
Two authors: (Smith and Jones 45)
Three or more authors: (Smith et al. 45)
No page number (such as a website): (Smith)
If the author is named in the sentence: Smith argues that "the data is clear" (45).
The Works Cited list appears at the end of the paper on a new page with "Works Cited" centered at the top (not bold). Entries are listed alphabetically and use a hanging indent (where the second line of each citation is indented 0.5 inches). If you have a source that does not fit one of the formats below please refer to one of the additional help resources below.
Book (single author): Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Smith, John. Research Methods in Literature. Academic Press, 2022.
Book (two authors): Last name, First name, and First name Last name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Smith, John, and Karen Jones. Understanding Poetry. Norton, 2021.
Journal article: Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. #–#.
Williams, Rachel. "Social Media and Modern Communication." Journal of Media Studies, vol. 45, no. 2, 2023, pp. 112–128.
Webpage: Last name, First name. "Title of Page." Website Name, Publisher (if different from site name), Day Month Year, URL.
Jones, Sarah. "How to Cite Online Sources." MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association, 15 Mar. 2023, style.mla.org/example.
Database article: Use the same format as the source type (journal article, newspaper, etc.) and add the database name and URL or DOI at the end.
Williams, Rachel. "Social Media and Modern Communication." Journal of Media Studies, vol. 45, no. 2, 2023, pp. 112–128. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/example.
Chicago Notes-Bibliography style is commonly used in history, art history, and some humanities disciplines. It uses footnotes or endnotes for citations, with a bibliography at the end. This guide covers the 17th edition.
Chicago uses superscript numbers in the text that correspond to notes at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes).
In your text, the superscript number goes after the punctuation:
Smith argues that the revolution was inevitable.¹
First note (full citation): ¹ John Smith, Research Methods in History (New York: Academic Press, 2022), 45.
Shortened note (for subsequent citations of the same source): ² Smith, Research Methods in History, 50.
The bibliography appears at the end of the paper on a new page with "Bibliography" centered at the top. Entries are listed alphabetically and use a hanging indent.
Book (single author)
Note: ¹ First name Last name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page.
¹ John Smith, Research Methods in History (New York: Academic Press, 2022), 45.
Bibliography: Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year.
Smith, John. Research Methods in History. New York: Academic Press, 2022.
Book (two authors)
Note: ¹ First name Last name and First name Last name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page.
¹ John Smith and Karen Jones, Understanding the Past (Chicago: Norton, 2021), 112.
Bibliography: Last name, First name, and First name Last name. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year.
Smith, John, and Karen Jones. Understanding the Past. Chicago: Norton, 2021.
Journal article
Note: ¹ First name Last name, "Title of Article," Journal Name volume, no. issue (Year): page.
¹ Rachel Williams, "Social Change in the 19th Century," Journal of Historical Studies 45, no. 2 (2023): 115.
Bibliography: Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Journal Name volume, no. issue (Year): page range.
Williams, Rachel. "Social Change in the 19th Century." Journal of Historical Studies 45, no. 2 (2023): 112–128.
Webpage
Note: ¹ First name Last name, "Title of Page," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.
¹ Sarah Jones, "How to Cite Primary Sources," History Resources, March 15, 2023, https://www.historyresources.org/example.
Bibliography: Last name, First name. "Title of Page." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.
Jones, Sarah. "How to Cite Primary Sources." History Resources. March 15, 2023. https://www.historyresources.org/example.
Primary source from an archive
Note: ¹ Author (if known), Title or Description of Document, Date, Collection Name, Box/Folder number, Archive Name, Location.
¹ Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, June 20, 1787, James Madison Papers, Series 1, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Bibliography: Author (if known). Title or Description of Document. Date. Collection Name. Archive Name, Location.
Jefferson, Thomas. Thomas Jefferson to James Madison. June 20, 1787. James Madison Papers, Series 1. Library of Congress, Washington, DC.