If you are writing a research paper or a term paper, it is important that you cite all the information that you use to support your argument. This includes the information you find in books, articles, and other sources. In addition, you should cite any materials, such as charts, graphs, and tables that you use in your paper.
Citing Articles
The first step in citing an article is to identify the author of the article (or article title) in the citation. The author’s name is written in italics if the article is published in a journal; otherwise, the author’s name and date of publication are used in brackets. If there is more than one author, the names are inverted (last name first) and followed by a comma.
In-text citations, which appear within parentheses and include the author’s name, the date of publication, and a page number if necessary, are vital for letting readers know where they can find the full text of your source. However, these in-text citations are not a complete reference, so you also need to cite your source at the end of your paper with a Works Cited list.
APA citations begin with the surname of the author. Next, the year of publication in brackets is used. Depending on the APA system you are using, this may be followed by the title of the article in quotation marks. Then, the journal’s title is used in italics and the volume and issue number is given. The page numbers of the journal should be given as well.
If a citation involves more than one source, the in-text citation will be followed by a parenthetical citation that includes the name of the primary source. This will then be followed by a Works Cited entry that includes bibliographic details for the secondary source that you cited.
