Citing Sources

A guide on how and when to cite your sources.

Example: How to Read a Citation

How do you know which is a book, which is a book chapter or essay, and which is a journal article? There are many different citation formats and styles; but often, those who write for the social sciences use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style. Here are some examples (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 2001, 5th edition):


Book

To find out if the MCLA library owns this book, search the catalog under the author's name, title words, or keywords (a combination of author and title words). HINT: Leave out words like the, a, an, to, etc.


Chapter or Essay in a Book

A citation for a chapter or essay in a book includes many of the same elements as a book citation. However, the key to knowing that it is a book chapter is the word IN after the chapter title.

To find this essay search the catalog under the Editor's name (Inness) or under words from the book's title such as: kitchen culture America; or under keywords - (a combination of book Editor and book title words).


Search the Online Catalog

Check here to see if the library has the book you're looking for. If the MCLA library doesn't have the book, look at our options for borrowing it.


Journal Article

How do you find a journal article? Find out if the MCLA library owns a subscription to that journal by using our journal finder. In the example above, you would search for the title Aztlan and then look to see if the databases include the year 1988.

Check here to see if the library has the journal you're looking for. If the MCLA library doesn't have the journal, look at our options for borrowing an article.