How to Cite Sources

This guide contains links to helpful citation style websites, citation generators, and citation style manuals found in the library.

When doing all types of scholarly and research writing, the sources used in your paper need to be documented. The formal process of doing this is called creating citations, or citing.

Providing citations supports:

contextual understanding
intellectual and academic honesty
credibility of your work
proper attribution to those whose work you have utilized

Failure to properly cite your sources constitutes plagiarism, which is a violation of the SGU Academic Integrity policy.

Citation Style Websites

The following web sites provide examples of the most commonly used citation types. If you are unsure which format to use, check with your instructor.

The OWL at Purdue

University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center

Research and Documentation Online

APA - American Psychological Association
MLA - Modern Languages Association
Chicago
CSE - Council of Science Editors

Ohio State University Libraries - How to Cite and Organize Information

If you have questions or citations not covered by the guides linked above, please consult the print resources listed below.

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Citation & Bibliography Generators

Warning: All of citation formatters listed below are provided for your convenience only. Please use them with caution. Always double-check any citations generated by these tools to ensure accuracy. Consult the print style manuals listed below for complete citation and formatting rules.

BibMe

formats bibliographies in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian styles
includes brief citation guides for MLA, APA, Chicago & Turabian

EasyBib

formats bibliographies in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian styles
includes brief citation guides for APA & MLA

Citation Machine

generates standard bibliographic and in-text citations in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turabian styles.

KnightCite

generates standard bibliographic citations in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles

NoodleTools

generates standard bibliographic citations in MLA style (requires users to create a personal login)

EBSCOhost databases offer a "Cite" option (located under the Tools menu on the right-hand side of screen) that generates a citation in a variety of formats for the record being viewed.

Microsoft Word 2007 & 2010 include tools (located under the References tab) to help you generate citations and a bibliography for your papers using MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.

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Citation Style Manuals in Print

For complete, in-depth information on citations, prints copies of the following citation manuals are available on reserve at the circulation desk or in the reference area.

APA Style

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6^th ed. 2010)

(r) BF 76.7 .P83 2010

MLA Style

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7^th ed. 2009)

(r) LB 2369 .G53 2009

Chicago Style

Chicago Manual of Style (15^th ed. 2003)

(r) Z 253 .U69 2003

Turabian Style

Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (7^th ed. 2007)

(r) LB 2369 .T8 2007