Research Paper Citation Styles
Always confirm which citation style your instructor wants you to use for your research paper. Instructors sometimes develop their own unique methods but most often they will recommend one of the following popular styles: APA, MLA, Turabian, Chicago, CBE or AMA.
The APA and MLA standards are the most widely used formats at Western. You can find books describing both methods in the library's circulating and reserve collections; however, the Web is host to many fine sites that describe the proper methods for citing sources in the APA and MLA formats:
Color-Coded Citation Examples
Robert Delaney (B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library) at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University has designed superbly concise, easy-to-understand, color-coded examples of several citation styles:
Complete Sample Research Paper in Each Format
Diana Hacker's Website is based on her booklet, Research Documentation in the Electronic Age. She provides examples of how an entire research paper should look in each of the various formats.
Answers to Writing Questions
Purdue's Owl Writing Lab provides examples of APA & MLA formats and is a great source of help for all kinds of writing questions. This site is recommended by some Western instructors.
Good Website Citation Examples
Detailed advice citing online sources from Andrew Harnack and Eugene Klepdinger, the authors of Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Resources. These examples are especially good for Websites.
Examples For Citing Electronic Sources
Owens Library at Northwest Missouri State University offers an excellent set of examples and explanations for citing various ful-text subscription services such as EbscoHost, infoTrac, and Lexis-Nexis.
More Examples of Print and Electronic Citation
The three guides (from the University of Southern Mississippi - Joseph Anderson Cook Library) are very good, clearly written and replete with useful examples, including several for electronic sources.
Basic Introduction to Various Styles
The libraries of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada have produced their own citation and style guides for APA, MLA, and Turabian. In addition, they provide links to a select number of other Web pages on the topic.
Citation Builders
Programs exist that automatically create citations in various styles. The best ones require purchase, but some sites on the Web will construct citations in desired formats for free. Users merely follow directions and "fill in the blanks" with information about the book, article, or Website. CAUTION: These programs have flaws, always carefully examine the records that they produce before inserting them into a "Works Cited" pr "References" page.
