MLA Citations for Students

As you write your paper, you'll need to cite passages and ideas from the sources you've found.  In order to cite your resources properly, you need to follow the style guide used by for this class, the MLA Handbook.

Sites with examples of in-text citations and works cited pages (supplement the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers)

• MLA Quick Citation Guide (Penn State University)
• Cite Source (Trinity College)
  Offers help on citations, quotations, and intellectual property
• KnightCite
  Citation generator--be sure you choose the MLA format!

In the library:

MLA handbook for writers of research papers.
7th ed. New York : Modern Language Association of America, 2009.

APA: American Psychological Association

APA Style
APA style guide for electronic resources

Finding the DOI

Library Copies (BF76.7 .P83 2001)

Chicago/Turabian Style & Citations

The Chicago Manual of Style is the preference for most history researchers, but always check with your professor before proceeding on both citation style and which version. The Notes-Bibliography system is generally preferred in Chicago-style citations, but there is also an Author-Date system. These systems use different formatting, so be sure which your professor prefers.

IMPORTANT! Late 2010, University of Chicago Press issued a new edition for this style guide. Check your resources to make sure you are being given the latest information based on the 16th edition as not all sites have updated yet. Notable changes are listed here.

Chicago may be referred to as Turabian, after Kate Turabian, who wrote a manual for students for research, writing and citing sources based on the Chicago citation style. The current version is titled A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. The CSUSM library keeps a copy at the Research Help Desk at LB2369 .T8 2007 and a copy on permanent Reserves (Checkout Desk.)

Some helpful web sites:

• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide (University of Chicago, the publishers of the Manual, this is based on the 16th edition)
• Citing Electronic Information in History Papers (U of Memphis, varies slightly from the guidelines of the 16th edition.)