A citation is a brief note in the body of your paper that lets people know that you have used the words or ideas of others in your work. You are required to include a citation anytime you use someone else's words (with a quote) or their ideas (with a paraphrase). You should also include a citation if you are referencing someone else's images or data, including data that appears in tables, charts, or maps.
Citations are made up of words or numbers that your readers can use to find more information about the source elsewhere in your paper. The location of that additional information varies depending on the style guide you are using. It may appear in a footnote, an endnote, or some type of bibliography section. The information included in a citation also varies based on both the type of source and the style guide you use.
Your instructor assigns the guide that you are allowed to use for each assignment, so please check your assignment prompt to find out which guide you should use. You can find information about the most common style guides at MCC in the box below. (Select your guide from the tabs at the top of the box, and then use the links to learn more each style.)
Note: If you need help understanding the basics of Style Guides, visit Prepare for Research: Style, where you can learn about style guides and what they include.
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) is commonly used in the social sciences. It provides two different format styles, one for students and one for professionals. Confirm which style you should use with your instructor.
Use your APA manual or the links below to learn more about APA requirements.
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is commonly used in the humanities. It provides the option of two different documentation styles, so ask whether your instructor requires the author-date style or the notes-bibliography style.
Use your CMS manual or the links below to learn more about CMS requirements.
The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook is commonly used in the humanities. It is particularly popular for English courses, but confirm with your instructor before using it.
Use your MLA manual or the links below to learn more about MLA requirements.
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (called Turabian style) is a modified form of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) and is commonly used for student work in the humanities. Confirm with your instructor before using it.
Use your Turabian manual or the links below to learn more about Turabian requirements.
Style guides can sometimes seem confusing. MCC's librarians are style-guide experts who can help you understand your assigned style guide's rules. They can also help you create a citation if you need additional help. Visit the library for in-person help, or visit the library homepage and click on the link titled "Chat with a Librarian" for live, 24-hour assistance from a real librarian. (No chatbots here!)
There are three main types of citations that you will use at MCC. The first two are narrative citations and parenthetical citations. They both provide similar information. Superscript is simply a number, but it points the reader to additional information.
APA and MLA both use narrative citations. (CMS or Turabian may use them, but superscript citations are more common.) A narrative citation is a citation that incorporates the author's name into the narrative of your writing (as part of your sentence), along with some additional information. To create a narrative citation, first add the author's name into your quoted or paraphrased sentence:
Quote: Smith noted that "none had seen a sight so horrific in all their days."
Paraphrase: Smith noted that it was the worst thing any of them had ever seen.
Next, add any other information your style guide requires. This information may include:
The specific information to include (and the location where it should appear in your sentence) may vary. Please consult your assigned style guide for specifics.
In addition to narrative citations, APA and MLA both use parenthetical citations. (CMS or Turabian may use them, but superscript citations are more common.) A parenthetical citation is a citation that places the author's name in parenthesis, along with some additional information. To create a parenthetical citation, first add the author's name in parenthesis to your quoted or paraphrased sentence:
Quote: "None had seen a sight so horrific in all their days" (Smith).
Paraphrase: It was the worst thing any of them had ever seen (Smith).
Next, add any other information your style guide requires. This information may include:
The specific information to include may vary. Please consult your assigned style guide for specifics.
The most popular type of citation for both Chicago and Turabian styles are superscript numbers. A superscript number is a small, floating number that appears at the end of a quoted or paraphrased sentence and points the reader to a footnote or endnote for more information about the author and source. To create a superscript citation, first add the superscript number to your quoted or paraphrased sentence:
Quote: "None had seen a sight so horrific in all their days." 1
Paraphrase: It was the worst thing any of them had ever seen.2
Next, write a corresponding footnote or endnote for your paper. The information that appears in footnotes and endnotes is similar to the information on a bibliographic page, but with specific differences. Please consult your assigned style guide for more information.
Note: Each superscript number is only used once in a paper.
All images on this page are courtesy of individual guide publishers or Cynthia Soll.
