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!
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) site is a fairly comprehensive resource for the Modern Language Association's (MLA) style and formatting rules.
Use the left side bar on OWL's page to navigate to the style or other help that you need.
UPDATED TO 9th ed.
Academic Search Complete (along with Business Source Complete, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and other EBSCO databases) will create a citation for you! Look for the "Cite" button to view citations in all the major citation formats.
NOT updated to APA 8th OR MLA 9th editions (as of Nov. 4, 2021).
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:
Did you know that almost ALL of UMA Libraries' catalogs and databases will create citations for you? When you find a resource, simply scan the database for a "(quotation mark)" icon, or for a label such as Cite this Item, or Cite, or Citation Export.
Giving Credit to Whom It Is Due
When you write a research paper, you must document the sources you used to produce it. When quoting or even paraphrasing another person's idea in your paper, you must give credit to that person so that the reader can find the source you cited.
Sources for which you should provide full citations include books, articles, interviews, Internet sources, government documents, software, videotapes, etc. You cite the sources briefly within the text of your paper, and then give the full citation in the "Bibliography" or "Works Cited" section at the end of your paper.
Additionally, IT IS REQUIRED. See UMA's Academic Integrity Policy which spells out your responsibility as a student. The way to avoid plagiarism is to carefully cite all sources used. Your instructors will indicate which citation style they want you to use when citing your sources. Most often this is either APA or MLA citation style.
Please double-check citations before submitting your work! We cannot guarantee the accuracy of citations created using these free, online tools.