Citations & Referencing

Why Reference Your Sources?

Whenever you use someone else's words, ideas, or data in your writing, you must acknowledge your source. This:

• Gives credit to original authors
• Allows readers to find and verify your sources
• Protects you from plagiarism

In-Text Citations

An in-text citation appears directly in your essay where you use a source.

MLA style: (Author Page number)

• "Education is the most powerful weapon" (Mandela 15).

APA style: (Author, Year, p. Page)

• (Mandela, 1994, p. 15)

Works Cited / Bibliography

At the end of your essay, list every source you cited in full.

MLA Book Format:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example: Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Secker & Warburg, 1949.

MLA Website Format:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Website Name, Date, URL.

Key Rules

• List sources in alphabetical order by author's last name.
• Indent the second and subsequent lines of each entry (hanging indent).
• Only list sources you actually cited in the essay.

Paraphrasing vs. Quoting

Even paraphrased ideas (rewritten in your own words) must be cited — you're still using someone else's thinking.

Direct quote — use quotation marks and cite. Paraphrase — no quotation marks, but still cite the source.