Cite Savvy
CC Image by Reeding Lessons
Now that the Fall Quarter is halfway through, many of you are knee-deep in writing research papers. With all of the work that goes into research - from choosing a topic, finding and reading sources, and synthesizing your argument - it can be easy to overlook writing accurate citations. However, citing your sources (whether they are print, online, text, or image) is an essential part of this process.
Thankfully, there are some excellent resources out there to guide you in creating citations. Formatting in-text citations, reference lists, and bibliographies is not as difficult as it seems!
Citation how-to’s and tips:
- SCAD’s very own Writer’s Studio (formerly known as the Writing Center) has some excellent online handouts on creating citations in MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, as well as citing images. MySCAD login is required.
- You can also schedule a one-on-one writing consultation at the Writer’s Studio– contact them to learn more.
- I am a big fan of the OWL at Purdue website, which offers pointers on using the 2009 updated edition of MLA formatting, as well as in-depth explanations of several other citation styles.
Automatic citation generators:
- Several of SCAD’s databases, such as Art Full Text, Wilson OmniFile, and CQ Researcher have their own built-in citation generators. When viewing an article or abstract, look for a “cite” link that will give you a sample citation for that source.
- The instructify blog recently listed top 5 citation applications on the Web, including several generators.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t completely trust citation generators. Humans are smarter than robots, and not every research source falls into the precise citation-creation formula that the ‘bots use. It’s a good idea to double check any automatically generated citations against the most current manual. Lucky for you, we have all of the latest editions at SCAD Libraries!
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (2009 / 7th edition)
- MLA Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2008 / 3rd edition)
- The Chicago Manual of Style (2003 / 15th edition)
- A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago / Turabian Style; 2007 / 7th edition)
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2001 / 5th edition)
Happy citing!
