Citation Help

All sources should be cited in a bibliography or reference list and in the body of the text of a research paper. Citations give credit to the the author as well as enable other researchers (or your instructor) to locate the cited item. See Plagiarism and Academic Integrity for more information about what to cite and why.

To assist in creating your bibliography and works cited pages and in managing your sources, you can use RefWorks. BU ONLY

The links below are meant as a guide in creating your reference list or bibliography. For definitive guidance on how to cite your sources you should consult the print manual or the organization's on-line guide.

Citation tip sheets from Binghamton University Libraries

Print Resources (selected list)

For the most complete information on how to cite sources, consult the print manuals, generally available at the Reference Desks or in the Reference Collections of the Bartle, Science or University Downtown Center (UDC) Libraries:

  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition (PE 1478 .M57 2009)
  • MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, (PN 147 .N28 2008)
  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th edition (BF 76.7 .P83 2010)
  • Chicago Style Manual BU ONLY (Z 253 .C57 2003)

 

Other Style and Writing Guides

Unless noted, the online guides are not complete or official. For the complete guide, refer to the official style manual.
APA

Binghamton University | Purdue University OWL | Diane Hacker | UW@ Madison Writing Center | Citing Legal Materials (Ely Library)

see above

MLA

Binghamton University | Purdue University OWL | Diane Hacker | UW@ Madison Writing Center

see above
American Anthropological Association (AAA) AAA (identical to guidelines published in American Anthropologist) Bartle GN 33 .G8
American Chemical Society (ACS) UW@Madison Chemistry Library SCI REF QD 8.5 .A25
American Institute of Physics (AIP) AIP (4th edition; official manual) SCI REF QC 28 .A5
American Medical Association (AMA) University of Washington | Ithaca College Library SCI REF R 119 .A533
American Political Science Association Style (APSA) UW@ Madison Writing Center Bartle JA 86 .A52 1996
American Sociological Association (ASA) Buffalo State Library | Purdue OWL Bartle REF HM 73.A54 1997
Bluebook, a uniform system of citation (legal citation) Citing Legal Materials (Ely Library) UDC REF  KF245 .U55 2005
Chicago Manual of Style

Ohio State Libraries | UW@Madison Writing Center

Council of Biology Editors (CBE) Ohio State Libraries | Diane Hacker | UW@Madison Writing Center SCI REF QH 304 .C33
Government Documents, Complete Guide to Citing   Bartle REF J 9.5 .G37 1993
Hacker, Diana. Style Manual. Research and documentation on-line (by Diane Hacker)

Bartle REF PE 1408 .H26 2004

Life Science Journals (Authors Handbook for.)   SCI REF R 119 .A85
Turabian

Ohio State Libraries | UW@Madison Writing Center

REF LB 2369 .T8 1996
(Bartle, Science)

For other style guides, do a keyword search for style manual in Library Catalog.

 

The following style guides deal with electronic sources only.
Columbia Guide to Online Style
Citing electronic documents, creating documents electronically for print publication and formatting documents for online publication.
Bartle REF PN 171 .F56 W35 1998
Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information Contains examples of citation in both MLA and APA styles. Bartle PN 148 .M57 1998
Library of Congress. Citing Electronic Sources. Gives MLA and Turabian-style examples for films, legal documents, maps, photographs, recorded sounds, special presentations, and texts found online.