Citing an article is an important part of writing a research paper or any other type of academic work. It allows readers to find the information they need and helps ensure that they have the same knowledge as you when reading your writing.
When citing an article in a writing, there are two different areas to consider: the text and the reference list. In-text citations are made in the body of your paper and then repeated in the reference list after the essay is complete.
In-text citations should contain the author’s last name and the year of publication. They should be formatted correctly and should be placed where the original source was found, such as on a page or in a document.
If the source was an online document or a website, then it should be cited with the URL of the document or site (e.g., a book, an article, a webpage). If the document is a video, then you should place it in quotation marks and put the date of the video in brackets around the URL, as in this example:
When referencing articles that are found in journals, the author’s last name should appear first, followed by the title of the article. If the author’s name does not appear on the journal’s cover, it is advisable to include the name of the journal as well.
Some articles may be published by a group, such as a non-profit organization or a government agency. These are often referred to as “institutional” sources and should be spelled out in your citation.
Those who are not part of an institutional or national entity can be referred to as “personal” sources and should not be spelled out in your citation. In most cases, you will cite the individual who provided the information by writing their last name and placing the year of publication in parentheses around the citation.
Many scholarly articles are written by multiple authors, with each of these authors being listed in a separate section of the work called an acknowledgment or an author’s note. The authors should be listed in order, starting with the author’s name and then adding the initials of the subsequent authors, e.g., Swedan, N. (2003).
These initials are usually abbreviated in APA style, but if you are using another citation style, then all of the first names are to be written in full and the middle name is to be abbreviated.
A common mistake that researchers make is to cite the first author of an article and then add all subsequent authors’ names, which can be confusing for readers. APA style recommends that when there are more than 19 authors, you should insert an ellipsis between the first and final author’s name before listing the remaining authors.
To find out what a specific citation style is, check with your instructor, your assignment instructions, or what you know about your audience or the publisher. You can also use a search engine to find out more about your particular style and what it requires in terms of citations.
