There are two main formats for citing sources the MLA (Modern Language Association) format and the APA (American Psychological Association) format.The MLA format is the author page system, which is most widely used in the humanities and sometimes called the Humanities Style.
The APA format is the author date system, and is used more often in the sciences.
The basic technique in both systems is to provide the reader with accurate information about the resources used to write a paper. MLA, APA or another system may be used. It is important to realize that once a particular style is selected the author must be consistent in every detail of wording, abbreviation, spacing and punctuation.
Both systems have three main divisions: author, title and publication information. They share the major style components: separation of parts by periods, colons separating subtitles from titles, cities from publishers, and volumes from pages. Both styles use mixed fonts: block and italics. Italics are used for titles and subtitles, block for everything else.
Study the examples:
MLA: Humanities/Author Page Style
Book
McClung, Robert M. Last of the Wild: Vanished and Vanishing Giants of the Animal
World. North Haven, Ct.: Linnet Books, 1997.
Magazine
Jerome, Helen M. "Welcome Back Potter." Book: The Magazine for the Reading Life
May/June 200: 40-5.APA: Science/Author Date Style
Book
McClung, R.M. (1997). Last of the Wild: Vanished and Vanishing Giants of the Animal
World. North Haven, Ct.: Linnet Books.
OR
McClung, R.M. (1997). Last of the Wild. North Haven, Ct: Linnet Books.
Magazine
Jerome, H.M. (2000 May/June). Welcome back Potter. Book: The magazine for the
reading life, 40-5.
OR
Jerome, H.M. (2000 May/June). Welcome back Potter. Book, 40-5.NOTE the similarities and differences:
MLA - spells out the author's name.
APA - spells out the last name and only the initials of the first and middle.
Both leave titles off.MLA - the date of publication is placed at the end of the citation.
APA - publication date follows the author's name.MLA - all titles are given title or headline capitalization.
APA - titles are given a down or sentence style capitalization.MLA - full titles of books and articles are given.
APA - full titles may be given for book and articles, but not mandatory, subtitles maybe omitted all together.MLA - quotations enclose titles of articles, chapters, poems, etc.
APA - does not use enclosing quotations.MLA - usually spells out the names of all publishers and journals, but may use abbreviations.
APA - may use abbreviations for publishers and journal names.In citing print materials arrange the information in the following order:
Only use the items that are applicable to the resources used.
- 1 Author's name (last name first, omit titles)
- 2 Title of a part of a book (poem, short story, speech, etc.)
- 3 Title of book (full title including subtitle for MLA)
- 4 Name of editor, translator, compiler (only if it appears on title page)
- 5 Edition (2nd, etc. Rev. ed for revised edition)
- 6 Number(s) of the volume(s) used (# vols., Vol # specific volume)
- 7 Name of series (name and then series vol. #)
- 8 Publication, place, name and date
- 9 Page number(s)
- 10 Other bibliographic information or annotation
Books Encyclopedia Magazine Newspaper
