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10 Great Essay Writing Tips

Knowing how to write a college essay is a useful skill for anyone who plans to go to college. Most colleges and universities ask you to submit a writing sample with your application. As a student, you’ll also write essays in your courses. Impress your professors with your knowledge and skill by using these great essay writing tips.
Prepare to Answer the Question
Most college essays ask you to answer a question or synthesize information you learned in class. Review notes you have from lectures, read the recommended texts and make sure you understand the topic. You should refer to these sources in your essay.

Plan Your Essay
Many students see planning as a waste of time, but it actually saves you time. Take a few minutes to think about the topic and what you want to say about it. You can write an outline, draw a chart or use a graphic organizer to arrange your ideas. This gives you a chance to spot problems in your ideas before you spend time writing out the paragraphs.
Choose a Writing Method That Feels Comfortable
You might have to type your essay before turning it in, but that doesn’t mean you have to write it that way. Some people find it easy to write out their ideas by hand. Others prefer typing in a word processor where they can erase and rewrite as needed. Find the one that works best for you and stick with it.

View It as a Conversation
Writing is a form of communication, so think of your essay as a conversation between you and the reader. Think about your response to the source material and the topic. Decide what you want to tell the reader about the topic. Then, stay focused on your response as you write.

Provide the Context in the Introduction
If you look at an example of an essay introduction, you’ll see that the best essays give the reader a context. Think of how you introduce two people to each other. You share the details you think they will find most interesting. Do this in your essay by stating what it’s about and then telling readers what the issue is.

Explain What Needs to be Explained
Sometimes you have to explain concepts or define words to help the reader understand your viewpoint. You also have to explain the reasoning behind your ideas. For example, it’s not enough to write that your greatest achievement is running an ultra marathon. You might need to define ultra marathon and explain why finishing the race is such an accomplishment.

Answer All the Questions
After you finish writing the first draft of your essay, make sure you’ve answered all the questions you were supposed to answer. For example, essays in compare and contrast format should show the similarities and differences between ideas, objects or events. If you’re writing about a significant achievement, describe what you did and how it affected you.

Stay Focused as You Write
Writing requires concentration. Find a place where you have few distractions and give yourself time to write without interruptions. Don’t wait until the night before the essay is due to start working on it.

Read the Essay Aloud to Proofread
When you finish writing your essay, read it aloud. You can do this by yourself or ask someone to listen to you read it. You’ll notice places where the ideas don’t make sense, and your listener can give you feedback about your ideas.

Avoid Filling the Page with Words
A great essay does more than follow an essay layout. It has something to say. Sometimes students panic and write everything they know about a topic or summarize everything in the source material. Your job as a writer is to show why this information is important.
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Welcome to Cite This For Me! Our free tools are designed to help you quickly prepare an entire bibliography or reference list in three simple steps: 1. Add references or citations. 2. Choose your citation style. 3. Add the bibliography to your paper. It’s that easy! Whether you’re just starting your paper, or trying to finish it up the night before it’s due, Cite This For Me is here for you, 24/7.
Even if you know very little about references, our forms and automatic citation features will guide you through the process and tell you what information is needed. This means less guessing for you and more accurate citations! Nearly any style you can think of is supported by Cite This For Me, including APA format , MLA format , Chicago style , Harvard referencing , Vancouver, and thousands of others. As you make citations, each will appear one after another, so you can keep track of what you’ve cited and edit anything you may have missed.
When you’ve finished your bibliography, copy and paste it into your paper or, if you upgrade to our fancy Cite This For Me Premium subscription, you can download it to Microsoft Word. On top of downloading citations to Microsoft Word, you will be able to save your work, create as many bibliographies as you want, and work faster with no ads. Premium accounts also let you check your paper for accidental plagiarism, so you can be more confident when turning it in.
Welcome to Cite This for Me
About cite this for me.
Cite This For Me is one of the most popular citation tools today. Launched in October 2010, we began with the mission of helping students create perfect citations in a fraction of the time. Since then, Cite This For Me has assisted millions of users across the world including in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and beyond.
Why Citing Matters
Citing isn’t something you usually think about, but it’s important nonetheless. Without even realizing it, you do it already in your everyday life in little ways. Have you ever said, “I heard on XYZ News that . . . ,“ or “I read in XYZ that those two celebrities are dating,” or even “Mom said that you can’t do that.” By saying where you got your information, you are casually citing a source.
We do this because it gives credibility to what we say, but also because it credits the originator of the information and allows others to follow up if they need more information. Formal citing done for papers and projects takes this a step further. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, citing sources in academia provides evidence of your research process and helps you avoid plagiarism .
Plagiarism is a word you never want to hear describing your work. You’ve probably seen headlines in the news and heard stories in school about the negative consequences of plagiarism. It’s not good but it is preventable. By visiting Cite This For Me to create citations, you’re taking steps to to help avoid this.
What Are You Citing?: Source Type Options
Do you know what you’re citing? Answering this question is usually the first step in creating a citation. On Cite This For Me, you can choose from a list of 30+ source types. It doesn’t matter if you’re citing a website, book, video, online image, or something totally different. Cite This For Me has you covered.
How Does This Work?
Immediately start citing by clicking on the website or journal article icon. If you’re using another source type, like book, click “More” to see all available options. From there, a form will pop up and show you all of the information you should look for in your source. Remember: the information for sources can vary (e.g. one photo may have a title, another photo may have none), so the forms do not require a completely filled out form to add a reference. You can create a citation at any time and also go back and edit it as many times as you want.
To help you save even more time and effort when citing websites, books, and journal articles, Cite This For Me will automatically find reference information and fill out some of the form for you. It sounds like a school myth but it’s true! When citing these sources, you start off with a search bar that assists you in finding the source you are referencing. Once you select the proper source from the listed results, you’ll be shown what information was and was not found, then taken directly to the form. Here you can confirm, edit, and add any information before adding the reference to your list—you’re always in control and have the final say on your references.
Choosing a Citation Style
Odds are, you’ve been given a specific citation style to use by your teacher, publication, editor, or colleague. (If not, try MLA format , APA citation , or Harvard referencing as they are the most popular.) Did you know there are literally thousands of citations styles in the world? Fortunately, Cite This For Me has a lot of them! In the navigation bar, click “2. Choose style” to open our citation style search widget and select the right style for you!
Citation Guides: Understanding it All
Beyond simply creating references or citations, most citation styles have additional guidelines about paper formatting, in-text citations, and other details. Cite This For Me citation guides covers a lot of this additional information, so your paper is more properly prepped and less likely to get points taken off for these details. The citation guides cover several citation styles, but the most popular are APA , Chicago Manual of style , MLA , Harvard referencing , Normas APA and Normas ABNT.
Take a Break & Learn: Read Our Blog
Citing is great, but it isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. If you’ve cited so much that your eyes are getting crossed, take a break and check out our blog ! We cover questions about citing and writing that you’ve always wondered about, and you will have fun along the way. Keep up with the latest articles by following us on Facebook or Twitter .
Cite as You Search With Our Chrome Add-on
Use Google Chrome? If yes, add our intuitive Chrome add-on and gain the power to automatically cite a webpage when you’re actually on it! Whenever you are on a page you wish to use as a source, simply click the Cite This For Me extension button to generate a citation for it. It’s quick, easy, and free! Click here to get the add-on.
Finished and Ready to Go
Once you have completed your bibliography or reference list, it’s time to export it! You can copy and paste your citations from Cite This For Me into your paper, project, or document. If you’re looking to export it as a Word Doc, our premium features were designed for you.
Premium Cite This For Me Access
If you like to save work as you progress, dislike ads, and prefer to download your bibliography as a Word Doc, Cite This For Me premium access is perfect for you! In addition to the perks already mentioned, you’ll also gain access to our plagiarism check. It helps you identify any information that may still need a citation created for it. To sum it all up: Cite. Save. Download. Sign up by clicking here .
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Guides & resources, complete guide to mla format.
Everything you need to know about MLA format is in this guide. Brush up on MLA basics and break down citations for multiple source types each with a real-life citation example to help you learn.
Useful guide to APA format
Take the uncertainty out of citing in APA format with our guide. Review the fundamentals of APA format and learn to cite several different source types using our detailed citation examples.
Practical guide to Chicago syle
Using Chicago Style is easier once you know the fundamentals. This guide presents the base rules of Chicago Style along with citation examples for various source types. It'll give you a solid foundation to begin citing from.
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Free Citation Essays and Papers

all about citation
A citation or bibliographic is a reference to any book, article, web page, or other published item, with sufficient detail to allow a reader to locate its source used in writing such woks which are alphabetically arranged with essential general information which can be traceable. Citation reveals the quality of works that support ones writing which enables a reader to gives a better evaluation to ones argument. thesis statement A lot of authoritative body had created rules and conventions for documenting
Analysis on MLA Citations
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Analysis on MLA Citations Professors often expect students to use certain formats and conventions when writing academic research papers. There are several different ways to format a paper, but most require and follow the guidelines established by the Modern Language Association (MLA). It is commonly used to cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities (Purdue). Learning how to format a citation within a research paper is a very important skill for success in college, it can mean the difference
Setting up Bibliographies, Reference Lists, and Citations
Setting up Bibliographies, Reference Lists, and Citations The following explanations from the American Psychological Association will guide you in setting up bibliographies, reference lists, and citations in the text of your work. If you are accustomed to using another style sheet, you will find some striking differences between APA style and the others with which you may be familiar. Most notably, in the APA style sheet, capitalization in the title of an article or of a book follows the same rules
Measuring the Quality of Electronic Journals in University Library: Based on Five Year Impact Factor Data in the Journal Citation Reports
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2.0 Literature Review Using of high quality electronic journals is a necessity in the academic and scholarly world. This section summarizes the evolution of printed journal up to present electronic journals along with discussions of high quality electronic journals usage and the availability of high impact factor journals. All information collects for this study consists from variety sources which comprise of electronic journals, search engines, online database, and books. Literature reviews are
Forms Of Plagiarism
ideas into you own work without proper acknowledge of the original source. There are many forms plagiarism can take place and as a CPA candidate, it is crucial to understand the forms of plagiarism and how to avoid it. Forms of plagiarism Lack of citation Plagiarism includes copying from other sources without citing original author of the material in one’s work. This can happen when a CPA candidate is conducting a research on topics that he/she is not familiar with and copying the definition or ideas
APA 6th Edition Formatting
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APA 6th Edition Formatting Three Citations Using Direct Quotes Intuition and analysis are two cognitive styles used by entrepreneurs in new venture formation. Researches Kickul, Gundry, Barbosa, and Whitcanack (2009) studied the effects of intuition versus analysis on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and found that “individuals with the intuitive cognitive style were more confident in their ability to identify and recognize opportunities,” but “individuals with the analytic cognitive style were more
Plagiarism: What is it and how to avoid it?
take proper notes that include quotes, paraphrases and the proper citations. Lack of confidence in their own writing skills can lead some students to borrow information from other sources because they feel that they are unable to come up with original thoughts and ideas. Failing to learn how to use proper citation can cause a lot of confusion during the writing process. This confusion causes many students to use improper citation, which can be viewed as plagiarism. Intentional vs. Unintentional
Rhetorical Summary
Parenthetical referencing is a citation style in which partial citations are enclosed in parentheses and embedded in the text. Scientific journal articles primarily make use of the “author-date system”. This system includes the authors last name, publication year, and page number(s) when a source is referred to. There are variations in what to put in the parentheses depending on how the source was introduced in-text. For example, Etelälahti and Eriksson’s (2014) use of parenthetical to introduce
Plagiarism, what is it?
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plagiarism? Let’s look at some ways you can prevent it. One way is by using citations correctly. Some people feel that they use too much, some feel they use too little. Actually, using cit... ... middle of paper ... ...aken, and can have many consequences, mostly for the plagiarist himself. You can get bad grades, be expelled out of school, or even be sued. By taking a few simple steps, such as efficient note-taking and using citations correctly, you can make sure you avoid this. Works Cited: 1. http://kidshealth
Essay On Plagiarism
McCabe had conducted a survey among 63,700 US undergraduate and 9,250 graduate students over three-year-course (2002-2005). Results showed that at least 74% of them admitted ‘paraphrasing few sentences from either internet or written source without citation’ (Plagiarism.org). Mohanty showed the statistics of plagiarism in their article. In the survey conducted by The Center of Academic Integrity showed that 80% of college student ...

Anti Racism Vs Common Sense
the adverb, “however” was introduced to dispute Petranka et al.’s and Rapheal’s findings. Moreover, throughout the passage there was a tendency to include indirect speech exclusively, as there was a single quotations noted. While incorporating citations, deMaynadier and Hunter consistently cited other researchers by name, rather than referring to other researchers anonymously. I also concluded that the writers’ trend of utilizing the verb “found” to report expressions was clear throughout the analysis
stem cell ethics
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. ... middle of paper ... ...te reference in the works-cited list. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text. For example: According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree. According to
Plagiarism and the Internet
- 1 Works Cited
plagiarizing. Borrowing another person’s idea is permissible if credit is given to whom it is due. However, stealing someone else’s work or idea and acting as if it were your own is not. Thus, it is pertinent that proper citation is always used. If one fails to use proper citation, one is guilty of plagiarism, and may face legal charges for copyright violations. Plagiarism is not always committed intentionally, but the people who purposely attempt to deceive others by stealing someone else’s ideas
Ten Types of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a hefty, ambiguous word that sparks fear in the hearts of most students as they begin to research sources to support the analytical and academic papers in most Central Texas College (CTC) courses. Professors and CTC warns students about plagiarism, but it is never truly explained. According to Merriam-Webster.com, plagiarism is simply “the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person.” This is the blanket definition; however, this does not entirely
Reflection On Science And Technology
technological and rhetorical literacies. I now have a better understanding of the requirements and expectations of college writing. This course has helped me improve my overall writing by developing in five major areas: organization, audience, research, citation, and revision. My overall organization of my writing has improved over the semester. This is evident when looking at my directional draft of Project 1, compared to my later projects. I was able to improve my organization first and foremost creating
Plagiarism: The Big Picture
are plagiarising. Grammatical errors such as forgetting quotations if you are quoting directly from the source can ‘unintentionally’ turn itself into unoriginal work. Inexperienced writers may also have a lack of citations, or perhaps improper signal phrases and parenthetical citations. (The Owl of Purdue, The University of Wisconsin) With plagiarism comes a variety of consequences and penalties. This form of “academic dishonesty” can mean little to no credit on an assignment, discipline at school
Plagiarism Essay
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Plagiarism is when someone steals or copies someone else’s work without giving credit to the original owner. As soon as someone else’s work has been used citation is required in order to show that it is made by the original creator. There are many types of ways of plagiarism. Such as find-replace, 404 error, duplicate and hybrid. Plagiarism is a very important topic that has to be dealt with because if it is not people will stop using their brain and just rely on what creative
Qlt1 Task 1
uefap.com/writing/citation/citing.htm According to the following website http://www.uefap.com/writing/citation/citing.htm There are two ways through which we can cite another person’s work. They are 1) Reporting 2) Direct Quotation I have followed both the methods. Under reporting section, I have followed reporting method and under direct quotation section, I have followed direct quotation method. Reporting: According to this link http://www.uefap.com/writing/citation/citing.htm. It states
Be Careful Not to Plagairize
that if you copy something word-for-word, it is plagiarism unless you put it inside quotations and provide some sort of citation. One acceptable form of citation is "direct quote with citation" which means that you can quote, but you need a citation according to what type of paper you are writing (e.g. MLA or APA). A second acceptable form of citation is "paraphrase with citation" which means that you can paraphrase a document, but then you need to cite it somewhere in the document. To paraphrase
Plagiarism in College Work
including blue hyperlinks and/or random text unrelated to the paper topic. When a professor... ... middle of paper ... ... built in tools for making proper citations easier than ever. Word 2010 allows you to enter citations and manage sources through the References tab. You simply create a source with the correct information then enter the citation in the precise space. What is The Impact of Plagiarism? The impact of plagiarism can be a self-destructive for a student. On the other hand, plagiarism
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MyBib is a free bibliography and citation generator that makes accurate citations for you to copy straight into your academic assignments and papers.
If you're a student, academic, or teacher, and you're tired of the other bibliography and citation tools out there, then you're going to love MyBib. MyBib creates accurate citations automatically for books, journals, websites, and videos just by searching for a title or identifier (such as a URL or ISBN).
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Referencing for people who value simplicity, privacy, and speed

Essay Writing: In-Text Citations
- Essay Writing Basics
- Purdue OWL Page on Writing Your Thesis
- Paragraphs and Transitions
- How to Tell if a Website is Legitimate
- Formatting Your References Page
- Cite a Website
- Common Grammatical and Mechanical Errors
- Additional Resources
- Proofread Before You Submit Your Paper
- Structuring the 5-Paragraph Essay
Using In-text Citations
Narrative vs Parenthetical In-text citations:
A narrative citation gives the author name as part of the sentence .
- Narrative citation: According to Edwards (2017) , a lthough Smith and Carlos's protest at the 1968 Olympics initially drew widespread criticism, it also led to fundamental reforms in the organizational structure of American amateur athletics.
A parenthetical citation gives the source information in parentheses - first or last - but not as part of the narrative flow.
- Parenthetical citation: Although Tommie Smith and John Carlos paid a heavy price in the immediate aftermath of the protests, they were later vindicated by society at large (Edwards, 2017) .
Full citation for this source:
Edwards, H. (2017). The Revolt of the Black Athlete: 50th Anniversary Edition. University of Illinois Press.
Sample In-text Citations
Note: This example is a direct quote. It is an exact quotation directly from the text of the article. All direct quotes should appear in quotation marks: "...."
Try to keep direct quotes to a minimum in your writing. You need to show that you understand the material from your source by being able to paraphrase and summarize it.
List the author’s last name only (no initials) and the year the information was published, like this:
(Dodge, 2008 ). ( Author , Date).
If you use a direct quote, add the page number to your citation, like this:
( Dodge , 2008 , p. 125 ).
( Author , Date , page number )
What is Plagiarism?
Avoid plagiarism cite your sources .
Using in-text citations:
- shows the reader that you have done your research
- shows that you know how to credit the sources of your information.
- points your reader to the full citation on your References page for more information.
Defining and Understanding Plagiarism - an important concept in the research and writing process.

From the Plagiarism.org Website:
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means
- to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
- to use (another's production) without crediting the source
- to commit literary theft
- to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
- turning in someone else's work as your own
- copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
- failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
- giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
- changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
- copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)
Should I Cite This?
- Should I Cite This? Citation advice from the Purdue OWL
Links to cite it for you:
Citefast recommended .
CiteFast citation generator provides both complete APA Citations and also pre-formatted In-text Citations.
- BibMe - APA Citation Generator and Plagiarism Checker from Chegg
- CiteThisForMe - APA Citation Generator from Harvard University
- KnightCite Citation Service - provided by the Hekman Library of Calvin College.
- Scribber - APA Citation Generator
Quick Sheet: APA 7 Citations
Quick help with apa 7 citations.
- Quick Sheet - Citing Journal Articles, Websites & Videos, and Creating In-Text Citations A quick guide to the most frequently-used types of APA 7 citations.
In-text Citation Tutorial
- Formatting In-text Citations, Full Citations, and Block Quotes In APA 7 Style This presentation will help you understand when, why, and how to use in-text citations in your APA style paper.
Download the In-text Citations presentation (above) for an in-depth look at how to correctly cite your sources in the text of your paper.
SIgnal Phrase Activity
Paraphrasing activity from the excelsior owl, in-text citation quiz.
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How to Reference Essays
Last Updated: September 15, 2022 References
This article was co-authored by Alexander Peterman, MA . Alexander Peterman is a Private Tutor in Florida. He received his MA in Education from the University of Florida in 2017. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 313,861 times.
When you begin writing a research essay, you must take into account the format of your writing and reference pages. There are several reference styles that may be assigned to you, including MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago. Each one has its own set of rules. There's no need to familiarize yourself with all 3 unless you have to, but you do need to learn at least one if you’re in any field involving academic writing. Here are summaries of each style to help you start your essay on the right track.

- You will need a citation directly after every sentence (or group of sentences if you're citing the same source in multiple consecutive sentences) containing information you didn't think of yourself. These include: paraphrases, facts, statistics, quotes, and examples.
- An in-text citation using MLA will simply have the author last name (or title if no author) followed by the page number. No comma between author and page number. For example: (Richards 456) Richards is the author last name, and 456 is the page number.
- If you have an author name (or title, if no author) but no page number, simply use author last name (or title).

- The easiest way to keep track of MLA citations while doing research is to copy and paste copyright information into a word processing document as you go, or to write it down in a notebook.
- Things to include for any source are author(s), date published, publisher, page number, volume and issue number, website, date accessed, anything that appears on the copyright page or indicates how to find it again. [2] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

- As an example, the format for a standard book citation using MLA style is as follows: Last name of author, First name. Title of Book. City published: Publisher Name, Year published. Source Medium.
- An MLA website citation looks like the following. If there's no author listed, begin citation with the name of the page: Last name, first name. "Page Title." Website Title. Publisher. Date published. Source Medium. Date accessed.
- An MLA scholarly article citation looks like the following: Last name, First name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal . Volume.Issue (Year): page numbers. Source Medium.
- Write the title of the main work (book, magazine, journal, website, etc.) in italics, or underline if you’re writing references by hand.
- Chapter or article titles should be in quotation marks.

- If there is no author listed, as is common on websites, simply skip the author’s name and begin the entry with the title of the work.
- Alphabetize by the first letter that appears in the entry, whether it has an author name or not.

- The formatting should be in Times New Roman font, size 12, with “Works Cited” centered at the top of a new page.
- Each entry should have hanging indent, meaning all lines below the first line are indented by half an inch.
- Make sure there is a period after each section of the citations. A period should always end the citation.

- Place a parenthetical citation at the end of every sentence (or group of sentences if you're using the same source for multiple consecutive sentences) containing information you didn't know before doing research.
- An in-text citation using APA will simply have the author last name (or title if no author) followed by the year it was published. No comma between name and year. For example: (Richards 2005) Richards is the author last name, and 2005 is the year.
- If you have an author name (or title if no author) but no page number, simply use author last name (or title). This is common when citing websites.
- APA document formatting is very important. APA papers are divided up into 4 sections: the title page, the abstract, the main body, and the references page. The citations of a research paper using APA appear in the References section, the last portion of an APA document. [7] X Research source

- To form APA reference page citations, you will need such information as author name(s), date published, website URL, date you accessed the website, title of work, and so on. [8] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

- For example, the format for an APA reference of a scholarly journal article is as follows: Author last name, First initial. (Year published). Article or chapter title. Journal or book title, Issue number , page number range. [10] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
- The format for an APA book reference looks like: Last name, First name. (Year.) Title of Book: Capital letter also for subtitle . Location: Publisher.
- The format for an APA website reference looks like: Author, A.A. First name, & Author, B.B. (Date published.) Title of article. In Title of webpage or larger document or book (chapter or section number). Retrieved from URL address

- Capitalize the author's last name and first initial, followed by a period.
- Only capitalize the first word of a journal article title, unless the title contains a proper noun (called sentence case). Titles of books should preserve the published capitalization.
- Capitalize the city of publication, and use correct state abbreviations for states. Also capitalize the name of the publisher and end the reference with a period.
- The title of larger works, whether a book, journal, website, or magazine, is in italics (or underlined if handwriting), as is the issue number that appears right after the title. Titles for shorter works like articles and chapters should not have any indicative punctuation in an APA entry. [12] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
- A period should end all citations.
Using Chicago Manual of Style

- For Notes and Bibliography, you will use a superscript at the instance of each quote in the text with a corresponding footnote at the end of the page. All footnotes are compiled into endnotes at the end of the work, on the bibliography page. [14] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
- For Author Date, you will use parenthetical in-text citations that include author last name and year published, using no punctuation between name and year. The full version of each parenthetical citation is listed alphabetically on the references page. For example: (Simon 2011) Simon is the author last name, and 2011 is the year.
- You will need a citation directly after every sentence (or group of sentences if you're using the same source for multiple consecutive sentences) containing information you didn't think of yourself. These include: paraphrases, facts, statistics, quotes, and examples.

- If using a book, write down all pertinent information found on the copyright page, including the name of the publisher and the city and year of publication.
- For other sources, look for this information near the title of the piece you’re looking at. Publication date is often at the bottom of webpages.

- Title your references page “Bibliography” centered at the top of the page. Leave 2 blank lines between this title and the first entry, and one blank line between entries.
- Notes and Bibliography style uses footnotes for page endings and endnotes for chapter endings. The bibliography page will be an alphabetized list of all sources in hanging indent.
- An example format for a book is as follows: Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, Year.
- An example format for a chapter in a print scholarly journal is as follows: Author last name, first name. "Title of Chapter or Article." Book or journal Title Issue Number (Year): Page number range. (For an online scholarly journal article, tack on the following at the end: Date accessed. URL address.)
- When there is no known author, the entry should begin with the title of the document, whether it's a webpage, chapter, article, and so on.
- When there are multiple authors, the first listed author appears last name, first name, so that the citation is alphabetized by this author's last name. Subsequent authors are listed by first name, like this: Alcott, Louisa May, Charles Dickens, and Elizabeth Gaskell.
- Always end a citation with a period.

- When using Author Date style, title your references page “References” centered at the top of the page. Leave 2 blank lines between this title and the first entry, and 1 blank line between entries.
- Author Date style bibliographies should be organized alphabetically by last name (or by title if no author) in hanging indent.
- An example format for a book is as follows: Last name, first name. Year. Book Title . City Published: Publisher.
- An example format for a chapter in a print scholarly journal is as follows: Author last name, first name. Year. "Title of Chapter or Article." Book or journal title issue number: page numbers. (for an online scholarly journal article tack this onto the end: Date accessed. URL address.)
- An example format for a website is as follows: Name of Website. Year. "Page Title." Date last modified. Date accessed. URL address.
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- You don't have to write each bibliography or reference entry on your own. You can download citation management software like Endnote [17] X Research source (purchase required on this one), Zotero [18] X Research source (it's free), or use websites like http://www.bibme.org/ and http://www.easybib.com/ . Select the name of your style manual before you begin creating citations. Copy and paste the citation into your bibliography or references list. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
- If you are assigned to write a paper or other written document in one of these styles, you need to purchase the style manual. It will contain nearly every instance not only of source citation, but paper formatting as well as grammar and punctuation that is unique to that style. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

- This article only lists how to cite research for each style manual. Each style has its own instructions for setting up the format of the essay, including heading, spacing, margins, font, and so on. ⧼thumbs_response⧽ Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_books.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_author_authors.html
- ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html
- ↑ https://libguides.jcu.edu.au/apa/reference-list
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_author_authors.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_basic_rules.html
- ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_manual_of_style_17th_edition.html
- ↑ http://guides.nyu.edu/c.php?g=276562&p=1844734
- ↑ http://endnote.com
- ↑ https://www.zotero.org
About This Article

To reference an essay using MLA style, add a citation after any information you found through a source, like facts or quotes. When citing the reference, include the author’s name and the page number you pulled the information from in parenthesis, like “(Richards 456).” Once you’ve finished your essay, add a Words Cited page with all of the information you used to research your essay, like books or articles. To create a Works Cited page, list the sources in alphabetical order using the author’s last name, and include additional information, like year published and the medium. For more tips from our Writing reviewer, like how to reference an essay using APA style, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Essay Referencing Simplified

For many students, using a referencing guideline can be a tedious drudgery to suffer when writing papers. For others, good referencing poses a complicated barrier which can cost them marks and even put their academic success in jeopardy. In this post our descriptive essay writing service will endeavor to demystify citation systems and offer a simplified approach to them.
The Role of Essay Citation
What is a reference? Academic writing does not stand alone. Everything that is written contributes to a conversation which has spanned centuries. This is exactly what Sir Isaac Newton was referring to when he made his famous quote about standing on the shoulders of giants. The primary role of all citation systems is to give your readers the means to retrace your steps through this ongoing conversation.
Of course, the other side of this is about giving due recognition to the writers of the work to which you are referring. Personally, I think of this as a secondary purpose. This is not due to any disrespect toward the protection of intellectual property; it is only that I give this respect incidentally. I appreciate having the opportunity to show where my work sits in relation to the greater conversation.
It is plagiarism when a student attempts to pass off work that has already been published or submitted as their own. It is different if someone, a friend, for example, acts as a co-writer who helps you proofread, edit, or produce new work or if you order essay from professionals. However, I am at a loss as to why someone would feel compelled not to reference the work they use.
You are not rewarded for generating entirely original thought, especially as an undergraduate. Regardless of your field of study, you gain respect and marks for two things. Firstly, you are tested for your ability to focus your efforts towards the succinct satisfaction of the criteria of each specific task. Secondly, and arguably, more importantly, your graders want to see evidence in your work that you are engaging with the broader body of academic work and the ongoing conversation it represents. Knowing how to cite references according to the reference format prescribed in the course guide can make this easy.
There is everything to gain by using citation to show your instructors what you have been reading. There is nothing to gain by failing to reference your work.
I want to challenge you to take pleasure and pride in your citation. Your essay reference page is where you show that you are able to surf the databases and use libraries to engage with the literature and find relevant information. This is really the primary practical skill set you are required to master and you demonstrate it through referencing.

How to Cite References
It has to be said that, if you have not already done so, the first thing you need to do is talk with your instructors about the style they expect from you. At the university where I studied, for example, there were eleven different style guides used by the various faculties and schools. They may ask students to write strictly to the MLA referencing format, the APA format for references, Harvard, or Chicago guides. Alternatively, the faculty could ask for a derivative format or special instructions to be followed. Be careful to note that the way we cite our sources in the reference list will be different depending on whether you are citing an essay or a citing a book in an essay or on the prescribed style. Refer to your course guide or talk with someone about it.
The Two Main Referencing Styles
Many of the guides which cover referencing can be said to have derived from either the Chicago or Harvard styles. For example, the increasingly popular APA referencing style is heavily based on the Harvard Style Guide. The Harvard format for references discourage the use of footnotes. Footnotes are notes written at the bottom of the page which corresponds to a small footnote number written at the end of the relevant line of text, in superscript. Since recent changes, the Chicago Style Guide now facilitates the use of either the footnote system or an author-date parenthetical, in-text referencing style, such as is preferred by the Harvard Referencing Style Guide. Both examples of what to do within the text will be followed by examples of how to do a corresponding reference page.
I highly recommend a thorough online publication offered by the University of Western Australia for further details on everything from how to cite an essay in an essay to citing online resources, or 5th edition books compiled by editors according to many different referencing style guides.
Harvard Style In-Text Referencing
In-text referencing as become most common over time. Some say that it breaks the flow of the text, making it more difficult to read and this might be why it is not used on websites like Wikipedia. However, most people would skip over the references when reading a sentence and use them only to reference the source material.
Basically, in the text the writer acknowledges the author by placing their name and the date of publication in parenthesis, at the end of the sentence and before the final punctuation. In this example we will not only look at how to reference a book in an essay but also at journal articles and other sources.

The reader can expect that this is not a direct quotation but merely information from the text. The name and date will correspond with a full bibliographic entry at the end of the essay, under the title, “References”.
If there are more than one source from which the information was drawn, the citations will be listed, separated by semicolons.

You can include the writer or writers in the text, if it is useful for your message, followed by the date, alone in parenthesis. For example:

This reference list example shows the full citations of the cited work in alphabetical order and with a hanging indent.
References (example)

This is just one example, and you will find that the actual style required by any faculty could be different in some respects. This example uses a very succinct table of examples offered to the public by The University of Western Australia. In other implementations of the style, you will find that there will be some small differences, such as years listed in the references might be in parenthesis. It is very useful to find out exactly what the requirements are at your institution.
Chicago Style Footnote Referencing
One of the advantages of footnote referencing is that it allows the writer to get the referencing data out of the way of the text. Instead, it uses a superscript number like this, "1" at the end of a sentence in which referenced work is used and then follows up with an acknowledgment of the source material at the bottom of the page, separated from the main body of the text. You will notice that the Chicago reference list format is laid out differently. If we use the same sentences as from our previous referencing example it will look like this:

Watkins, O’Shay & Chandler, This book was written by three authors, (Big City: Fancy Publishing House, 2013) 34.
Note that one citation can refer to multiple entries rather than including multiple superscripted numbers at the end of a single sentence.
Getting it Right Every Time You Write an Essay
I can not overstate the importance of referring specifically to the style guide prescribed by the course you are enrolled in. This article represents our custom essay service attempt to give you a quick outline to understand referencing. But there are many specific criteria requested by different institutions. Great essay writing loses marks unnecessarily when you make some small mistakes with the referencing style, and it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Perhaps You Could Think of Referencing Your Essay Like Lego
Keep a record of the books and sources you gather your information. Then, follow the style guide you are given by your course instructors and put all the pieces together in the same way.
Know When to Ask For Help
The best tip to success in anything is to know how to search for good information and know how to delegate like a leader. If you are not sure about how the specifics of citation will work in your course, ask your tutor for more help; this is what they are there for. If you need to delegate work to someone else so that you can deal with the important tasks of your studies, send it to essay service . Our professional writers can put your citation together from the sources that you gathered according to the style format you send us from your course. If you need more help, you can buy essays online from us, and they will be uniquely written to meet your criteria and free of plagiarism.
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I appreciate having the opportunity to show where my work sits in relation to the greater conversation. It is plagiarism when a student attempts