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Reed Library

Citation Guide

Introduction

This guide includes three main sections:

  • Why We Cite

    • This section explains the role of citation in scholarly work, provides guidelines for deciding when you need to cite, and gives a definition of plagiarism.
  • APA

    • APA style refers to the citation format established by the American Psychological Association. APA is the style preferred by most of the disciplines in the social sciences.

    • This section provides examples using APA style for various information sources. For more information, you can consult the print version of the sixth edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association located at the Research & Info Desk in Reed Library.

  • MLA

    • MLA style refers to the citation format established by the Modern Language Association. MLA is used by many disciplines in the humanities, including English and other language studies, art, and philosophy. Because of this, MLA style provides citation formats for such things as works of art, correspondence, and archived manuscripts.
    • This section provides a handful of examples of how to cite resources using the MLA citation style. For more citation examples and advice, consult the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, located at the Research & Info Desk in Reed Library. The MLA Handbook is more authoritative and more current, and will have more up-to-date examples of citing a wide variety of online sources.
  • Chicago 

  • Chicago style refers to the citation format established by the University of Chicago. The Chicago Manual of Style is a guide for American English published since 1906. Its 17 editions have prescribed writing and citation styles widely used in publishing. The guide specifically focuses on American English and deals with aspects of editorial practice, including grammar and usage, as well as document preparation and formatting. Chicago style is used by many disciplines in the sciences and social sciences.

    • The following sections provides examples of how to cite resources using the Chicago Manual of Style. For more citation examples and advice, consult the Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition, located near the Research & Info Desk in Reed Library. The manual is more authoritative and more current, and will have more up-to-date examples of citing a wide variety of online sources. Chicago style has two systems of source citation, Notes & Bibliography and Author-Date.
  • Chicago 17th Notes & Bibliography
    • This system uses notes either with footnotes or endnotes, usually together with a bibliography. The notes system allows space for unusual types of sources as well as for commentary on the sources cited.
  • Chicago 17th: Author-Date
    • The author-date references and a corresponding reference list is nearly identical in content to Notes & Bibliography but differs in form. The author date system is preferred for many publications in the sciences and social sciences but may be adapted for any work, sometimes with the addition of food notes or endnotes.
  • Turabian
    • Except for a few minor differences, the style and formatting described in the ninth edition of the manual, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian, is the same as the 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. While The Chicago Manual of Style focuses on providing guidelines for publishing, Turabian's manual is intended for the creation and submission of academic works; where the two works differ in small ways, Turabian's manual is designed to "better suit the requirements of academic papers as opposed to published works." 

  • CSE 

    • CSE style refers to the citation format established by the Council of Science Editors. CSE is used by many fields of scientific research in both the life sciences and physical sciences. Originally known as the Council of Biology Editors (CBE) in 2000 the style became known as the CSE style. 
    • This section provides examples of how to cite resources using the CSE citation style. For more citation examples and advice, consult the eighth edition of the Scientific Style and Format, located near the Research & Info Desk in Reed Library. The Scientific Style and Format manual is more authoritative and more current, and will have more up-to-date examples of citing a wide variety of online sources.
  • IEEE

    • IEEE style refers to the citation format established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE is a widely accepted format for writing research papers, commonly used in technical fields, particularly in engineering and computer science.
    • This section provides examples using IEEE style for various information sources. For more information, you can consult the digital version of the 2018 IEEE Reference Guide.