The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.
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APA In-Text Citations APA References
APA Formatting Guide APA Headings (setting up the paper)
APA Activity (tutorial) APA Side By Side (compares reference, in-text citation,
and in-text citation with author set-up)
Citing your sources is an important step in the research and writing process. Choose one of the following to get started:
Documentation style depends on your area of study. For instance, the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is often used in the social sciences, whereas the Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used in the humanities. Check with your professor to be sure you are using the right style for your papers.
Here's a short overview of citations:
The UMA Writing Centers and VAWLT (Virtual, Accessibility, Writing, Library & Technology tutors) offer UMA learners free online writing help and tutoring sessions. Visit their websites to learn more!
When you find a resource, look for a quotation mark icon or options such as Cite this Item, Cite, or Citation Export. These tools will generate a citation you can copy into your paper's Works Cited or References page.
When you write a research paper, you need to document the sources you used. If you quote or paraphrase someone else’s ideas, you must credit them so your reader can locate the original source.
You should fully cite any source you use, including books, articles, interviews, websites, government documents, software, and videos. Provide brief citations in the body of your paper and full citations in a Bibliography or Works Cited list at the end.
Citing your sources is required under UMA’s Academic Integrity Policy, which explains your responsibilities as a student. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite every source you use. Your instructors will tell you which citation style to follow, most often APA or MLA.
It's always a best practice to double-check citations before submitting your work!
We cannot guarantee the accuracy of citations created using these free, online tools.
