liblog

The way that we give credit is by citing the sources we have used--in a bibliography, a source list, footnotes, or whatever method or combination of methods your professor requires. Citation format is very specific and differs from one "style" to the next. In addition to "style guides" available in the Libraries, we also provide web links to selected explanations and examples in a Citing Your Sources. These online guides include MLA style, APA style, and Turabian (which is similar to Chicago style).

It is equally as important to cite online sources you have used as it is to cite paper sources, whether those sources are web sites or full text scholarly articles. Even when online sources also exist in paper, your citation should indicate that you retrieved the information in electronic format, not from the paper source. To help you with citing online resources, the Libraries have a web page on Citing Electronic Documents which includes examples of how to prepare a bibliography entry for online articles from JSTOR, Lexis-Nexis/Academic, and other databases the Libraries provide.

When you have questions about the appropriate "style" to use for a paper you are writing, always check with your professor. Then use one of the style manuals available in the Libraries or an online guide to be sure you are formatting your work correctly.

You may also want to find out more about RefWorks, a program that allows you to create your own database of references (articles, books, etc.) and then easily insert those references into your papers, formatted correctly. You can contact Gale Burrow for more information.