Bentley Lower School Library: How to Cite Your Sources

Citing your sources doesn't have to be hard. Just remember to get the information while you are in the source! 

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There are three different writing formats or styles that are used to write academic papers. They each follow a specific style and format that includes citations, quotes, and referencing materials used to find your information. These are formats followed in middle school, high school, college, graduate school, and beyond.

What are the different writing styles?

MLA - This stands for Modern Language Association, and these guidelines are used for the Humanities: English, art, theater, etc.

CMS - This stands for Chicago Manual of Style, and it is used for Social Studies and History classes

APA - This stands for American Psychological Association, and is used for social sciences: science, medicine, sociology, etc.

While all of these styles are similar, they do follow very specific formatting and terminology that need to be used throughout your papers.

Why do we need to cite our sources?

• Give Credit to the Author or Creator
• Reader can Locate Sources
• Help You Avoid Plagiarism
• Help You Stay Organized

How do we cite our sources?

A bibliography or works cited page is the last page of a report or the last slide of a presentation that shows all of the resources (books, websites, etc.) that were used in the research process. The purpose of a bibliography is to give credit to the authors with those original ideas that were used in your research and for your readers to find more information about your topic.

Your teacher will tell you if you need a bibliography page or a works cited page. What is the difference?

Bibliography: A list of ALL materials you looked at when doing your research. This includes text that you read but did not directly use in your paper or research.

Works Cited: A list of only the materials that you have referred to and cited in your paper or presentation.

Bibliography

“40 Fun Facts about Halloween." Random Facts. Random History, 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. <http://facts.randomhistory.com/halloween-facts.html>. 

Florian, Douglas.  Insectlopedia.  New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1998. Print.

Johnson, Virginia. "The Presidential Election: How It Works." Kids.LibraryPoint. Central Rappahannock Regional Library, 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Nov. 2012.

Lawrence, Caroline.  The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina. Brookfield, CT:  Roaring Book Press, 2003.  Print. 

MacHale, DJ.  The Quillan Games.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 2006.  Print.

“Tiger Moth.”  Insects.org. Insects.org, 2011.  Web. 6 November 2012.

Click on the links below to go to their official website:

MLA Style Guidelines

CMS Style Guidelines

APA Style Guidelines

1.  Alphabetize

2.  Indent all lines after the first

3.  Be sure to underline or italicize the title.

4.  For websites, know that often times it is nearly impossible to find the author, publisher and copyright date...but be sure to look!

5.  Write the word Bibliography at the top of the page and center it.  A bibliography is meant to be a stand-alone page.