CITATION FORMATS
There are two commonly used
CITATION formats. They are the American Psychological Association citation format, and the Modern Language Association citation format.
MLA
FORMAT In the MLA citation format
parenthetical documentation is given importance. The
MLA citation format requires the writer to identify a research resource through the use of parenthetical in-text citation. This makes subsequent review easier. In-text citation usually consists of the author''s last name and the
page on which the quote or idea used appears. In case the name of the author is included in the
text of the essay, it can be omitted from the parenthetical documentation.
Parenthetical credentials are placed within the
essay immediately after the used quote or idea. This in-text citation is linked to a
works cited list at the end of the essay. The works cited list at the end of the essay should be on a separate sheet. This is an alphabetically arranged list of the works that were consulted in writing the essay. If the essay makes use of several works by the same author a portion of the title of the work must be referred within the parenthetical citation. There are several such nuances in the
MLA citation format. Any good guide on the subject will clarify the finer distinctions with examples.
Often we use the language or ideas of others taken from such sources as books, journals, periodicals, magazines and websites. The rules and conventions of the
MLA citation format are different for different types of sources. For the
MLA citation format sources are divided into three major categories: books, articles in newspapers and periodicals and online sources.
APA format
The American Psychological Association (
APA) citation format is a widely used format for essays, research papers and theses especially relating to social sciences. The APA citation format was originally introduced as a seven-page guideline and appeared in the Psychological Bulletin in 1929.
The paper''s title, the name of the author and the institute of affiliation should appear centered on the upper half of the page. The other elements of the title page are the header and a running head. The header is an abbreviation of the title and is no longer that one or two words. The running head should be within 50 characters.
In addition to the above there are a few requirements that are basic to the
APA citation format. It requires that the essay or research paper be typed on paper that is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. It also requires that the all-around margin be 1 inch. The line spacing should be double. Every page of the essay should have a header and a page number and the two should appear in the right hand corner. This should appear on the title page also.
The
APA citation format also uses the parenthetical documentation method for in-text citation when using the language or idea of someone else. The way in-text citation is done differs a little if the work cited is by one or more authors or from a secondary source or is a direct quote. In APA the parenthetical documentation should include the last name of the author and the year of publication. If the name of the author forms a part of the essay text the year of publication is alone mentioned in parenthesis.
As per the
APA citation format the reference page should be a separate page with the works cited arranged in alphabetical order. The references should be double spaced with no spaces between references. If a reference runs to more than one line, all subsequent lines should be indented. A reader who reviews the essay will know that a reference appearing on a new line that is not indented is another reference.
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