Citation FAQs

Welcome!

I hope you find this guide useful. If you have other questions to ask, please email me and I will include them (sducharm@amersol.edu.pe). Everything here is also found on the library citation guide.

How do I cite a source that doesn't have an author?

Use the first piece of information in the works cited entry. If it's an article title, cite that exactly as it appears in the full citation.

What if the information was from a person I found in someone else's book/article?

Use "in-text" and "parenthetical" citations to credit the person's idea AND the place where you found it.

For example: According to Lincoln, the xyz idea was revolutionary (Author of book 73).

What if I have put information in my own words?

Cite all information you use from other sources. Whether or not it's a quotation, it's not your idea so you still give credit to the person you learned it from.

How do I cite images?

For essays and other print assignments, create a full citation and put it under the image as a caption. For digital presentations, cite using the image name (linked to image online), the creator, and the copyright license. See full directions HERE.

TIPS

How to keep track of sources - two options:

1. Use a numbering system. Give each source a number and write that number next to each note from that source. Also include page numbers if available (#1, p. 13).
2. Create a new document for each source and write the notes from that source all in that document. Link each source document into one "mothership" document. If you prefer to keep all notes in one document use the "insert bookmark" feature to link to different source sections within the doc.

Note-taking Templates:

• Mr. Gerard-Larsen's Grid-style notes
  
• Category style notes
  
• Digital Note Cards
• Cornell Notes

How to organize your citations:

• Create your Works Cited or Reference page before you write the essay
• As you write, insert your citations based on whatever comes first in the Works Cited entry (usually the author)

TOOLS

There is only one SMART citation-maker: Oregon School Library System. Use it!

EasyBib, Paperpile, and other automated tools may not be accurate enough for you

FDR Citation Checklists to proofread your work: MLA or APA

Sample MLA and APA papers - does yours look as it should?

Purdue OWL (online writing lab) is the most up-to-date information about citations and formatting. If you google a citation question, choose the answer from Purdue OWL.

Works Cited:

In MLA, the title of the page of your complete list of sources used in your paper.

It's alphabetized, double-spaced, with no lines between entries, and each entry is reverse-indented ("hanging indent")

References:

Same as above, but for APA format

Parenthetical Citation:

The short information that points to the full entry in the Works Cited/References list.

MLA example (Author page) --> (Lincoln 39).

APA example (Authors, date) --> (Abbott, Costello, Smith, May 2018).

When a parenthetical citation comes at the end of a citation, the period goes after the parenthesis.

In-text Citation:

A reference to an author and/or titles within a sentence. These are usually accompanied by a parenthetical citation.

For example: In his book A Short History of the Universe, Bill Bryson shows us how XYZ happens (39).

Footnotes:

Small font text at the bottom of a page that gives extra information.

FDR does not recommend footnotes for citations.

Please contact me if you need help. We can make an appointment or I can answer a quick question online. You may also share a google doc with me if you have a specific question.

Email: sducharm@amersol.edu.pe
Website: www.fdrlibrary.amersol.edu.pe
Location: Colegio Roosevelt, Avenida Las Palmeras, La Molina, Peru
Twitter: @sducharme