Concordia.ca   /   Library   /   Research skills tutorial   /   Citing   /   Getting it right

How do I get my citations / references / bibliography right?

What is a citation?

A citation provides the identifying information for a source. From a citation you or your reader should be able to track the information back to the original source.

Citing your sources is a two-step process. Sources must be cited:

  1. Within your paper. Also called in-text citations, these citations allow the reader to distinguish your ideas from those of others.
  2. At the end of your paper. Often presented as a list of all the sources you used, this can be called a "Works Cited" page, "Reference List," or "Bibliography." It allows the reader to find the same sources you have consulted for your research.

Step 1: Citing within your paper (in-text citation)

An in-text citation is placed at the point where you use information from a particular source. The format and type of information contained in an in-text citation depends on the style guide you are using, but it should contain enough information to point to the complete citation at the end of your paper. If you need help, consult one of the Library's many citation style guides or ask a librarian!

example Example
<Previous
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
>Next

In-text citations have matching citations in the reference list or bibliography. These provide the complete citation information needed to find the source of the information mentioned in the paper.

In-text citations have matching citations in the reference list or bibliography. These provide the complete citation information needed to find the source of the information mentioned in the paper.

In-text citations have matching citations in the reference list or bibliography. These provide the complete citation information needed to find the source of the information mentioned in the paper.

In-text citations have matching citations in the reference list or bibliography. These provide the complete citation information needed to find the source of the information mentioned in the paper.

McGlone, F., Cerritelli, F., Walker, S., & Esteves, J. (2017). The role of gentle touch in perinatal osteopathic manual therapy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 72, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.11.009

Step 2: Citing at the end of your paper with a works cited list/reference list/bibliography

Every citation contains the same basic information:

  • Creator
  • Title
  • Where and when the item was first published

How this information is arranged and displayed depends on your style guide.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
The Chicago Manual of Style
MLA Handbook

Style guides are lists of guidelines and formatting instructions. They provide directions on how to format your papers for publication. We are just looking at the sections about formatting in-text citations and reference lists.

Creating citations for the sources you used takes some patience and attention to detail. To create your own citation, you must:

  1. Look at your source and note all the citation information.
  2. Consult the style guide specified by your professor to see how to arrange all the citation information.

In the next sections, we will show you how to build citations for books, book chapters and articles in the following styles: APA, MLA, IEEE, and Chicago. If your professor has asked you to use a different style, or if you need to create a citation for a different kind of source, such as a website or coursepack, you can consult one of the Library’s many citation style guides. If you need assistance, ask a librarian!

Creating citations for books

Step 1: Make note of all the citation information

Author: Neils Clark and P. Shavaun Scott
Year of Publication: 2009
Book title: Game addiction: The experience and effects.
City and State or Province where the book was published: Jefferson, NC
Publisher name: McFarland & Company

Remember, books may also have editors instead of authors and a DOI or URL if they are ebooks

Step 2: Consult the style guide and arrange all the citation information.

Each style will use the same information but arrange it differently.

In-text citation

(Clark & Scott, 2009)

Reference List

Clark, N., & Scott, P. S. (2009). Game addiction: The experience and the effects. McFarland and Company.

In-text citation

(Clark and Scott 175)

Works Cited

Clark, Neils, and P. Shavaun Scott. Game Addiction: The Experience and the Effects. McFarland and Company, 2009.

In-text citation

It is not necessary to mention an author's name, pages used, or date of publication in the in-text citation. Instead, refer to the source with a number in a square bracket, e.g. [1], that will then correspond to the full citation in your reference list. Example:
…as shown by Clark and Scott [1], …

References

[1] N. Clark and P. S. Scott, Game Addiction: The Experience and the Effects. Jefferson, N.C., USA; London: McFarland & Company, 2009.

In-text citation

(Clark and Scott 2009, 175)

Reference List

Clark, Neils and P. Shavaun Scott. 2009. Game Addiction: The Experience and the Effects. Jefferson, N.C.; London: McFarland & Company.

Creating citations for book chapters

Step 1: Make note of all the citation information

Chapter author: Jeanne B. Funk
Chapter title: Violent Video Games: Who’s at Risk?
Book editors: Diane Ravitch, and Joseph P. Viteritti
Book title: Kid Stuff: Marketing Sex and Violence to America's Children
Year of Publication: 2003
City and State or Province where the book was published: Baltimore
Publisher name: Johns Hopkins University Press
Page numbers of the chapter: 168-192

Remember, books may also have a DOI or URL if they are ebooks

Step 2: Consult the style guide and arrange all the citation information.

Each style will use the same information but arrange it differently.

In-text citation

(Funk, 2003)

Reference List

Funk, J. B. (2003). Violent video games: Who's at risk? In D. Ravitch, & J. P. Viteritti (Eds.), Kid stuff: Marketing sex and violence to America's children (pp. 168-192). Johns Hopkins University Press.

In-text citation

(Funk 169)

Works Cited

Funk, Jeanne B. "Violent Video Games: Who's at Risk?" Kid Stuff: Marketing Sex and Violence to America's Children, edited by Diane Ravitch and Joseph P. Viteritti, pp. 168–192, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.

In-text citation

It is not necessary to mention an author's name, pages used, or date of publication in the in-text citation. Instead, refer to the source with a number in a square bracket, e.g. [1], that will then correspond to the full citation in your reference list. Example:
…as shown by Funk [1],

References

[1] J. B. Funk, "Violent video games: Who's at risk?" in Kid Stuff: Marketing Sex and Violence to America's Children, D. Ravitch and J. P. Viteritti, Eds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003, pp. 168-192.

In-text citation

(Funk 2003, 168-192)

Reference List

Funk, Jeanne B. 2003. "Violent Video Games: Who's at Risk?" In Kid Stuff: Marketing Sex and Violence to America's Children, edited by Diane Ravitch and Joseph P. Viteritti, 168-192. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Creating citations for articles

Step 1: Make note of all the citation information

Article author(s): Cheryl K. Olson, Lawrence Kutner, Lee Baer, Eugene Beresin, Dorothy Warner and Armand M. Nicholi II.
Article title: M-rated video games and aggressive or problem behavior among young adolescents.
Journal title: Applied Developmental Science
Date of Publication: October 2009
Volume number: 13
Issue number: 4
Page numbers: 188-198
DOI: 10.1080/10888690903288748

Remember, not all articles will have a DOI. Check your style guide for what to do if there is no DOI.

Step 2: Consult the style guide and arrange all the citation information.

Each style will use the same information but arrange it differently.

In-text citation

If there are three or more authors, include the last name of only the first author followed by "et al." and the year. Example:

Olson et al. (2009) also noticed that...

Reference List

Olson, C. K., Kutner, L. A., Baer, L., Beresin, E. V., Warner, D. E., & Nicholi II, A. M. (2009). M-rated video games and aggressive or problem behavior among young adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 13(4), 188-198. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888690903288748

In-text citation

If there are three or more authors, include the last name of the first author followed by "et al.". Example:
(Olson et al. 189)

Works Cited

Olson, Cheryl K., et al. "M-Rated Video Games and Aggressive Or Problem Behavior among Young Adolescents." Applied Developmental Science, vol. 13, no. 4, 2009, pp. 188-198. Taylor & Francis Online, https://doi.org/10.1080/10888690903288748.

In-text citation

It is not necessary to mention an author's name, pages used, or date of publication in the in-text citation. Instead, refer to the source with a number in a square bracket, e.g. [1], that will then correspond to the full citation in your reference list. Use "et al." when six or more names are given. Example:
…as shown by Olson et al. [1],

References

[1] C. K. Olson et al, "M-Rated Video Games and Aggressive or Problem Behavior Among Young Adolescents," Appl Dev Sci, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 188-198, Oct., 2009, doi: 10.1080/10888690903288748.

In-text citation

If there are four or more authors, in the text, list only the first, followed by "et al.". Example:
(Olson et al. 2009, 189)

Reference List

Olson, Cheryl K., Lawrence A. Kutner, Lee Baer, Eugene V. Beresin, Dorothy E. Warner, and Armand M. Nicholi II. 2009. "M-Rated Video Games and Aggressive Or Problem Behavior among Young Adolescents." Applied Developmental Science 13 (4): 188-198. doi: 10.1080/10888690903288748.

tip Tip!

The Library has many citation style guides. For each style, the guide provides example citations for different resources, including books, book chapters, journal articles, websites, and more. If you need assistance, ask a librarian for help!

activity Activity - Give it a try!

Identify what components of the following citations are missing.

Congratulations! You did it!

Try again!

Back

Back to top arrow up, go to top of page