4 Ways to Cite an Article
Citing your sources is an essential component of writing any academic paper, article, or research report. It not only adds credibility to your work but also helps readers track the origins of your research and findings. In this article, we will discuss four ways to cite an article properly.
1. APA (American Psychological Association) Style
The APA citation style is commonly used in social sciences like psychology, sociology, and education. When using the APA style of citation, include the author’s last name, publication year, article title, journal name, volume number, issue number, and page numbers. In-text citations should follow the format: (Author’s Last Name, Publication Year).
Example:
Reference Citation: Doe, J. (2021). The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health. Journal of Social Psychology, 22(3), 150-171 [https://doi.org/10.1234/123456].
In-text Citation: (Doe, 2021)
2. MLA (Modern Language Association) Style
MLA citations are popular in liberal arts and humanities disciplines like literature and art studies. This citation style requires authors to list the author’s last name, first name, the article title in quotation marks, journal name in italics, volume number, issue number, publication year, page numbers, and URL if applicable.
Example:
Reference Citation: Doe, John. “The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health.” Journal of Social Psychology 22.3 (2021): 150-71.
In-text Citation: (Doe 150)
3. Chicago Manual of Style
This style is frequently used in history-related subjects and publications requiring the use of footnotes or endnotes for citations. It includes two formats – Notes and Bibliography or Author-Date.
Example – Notes and Bibliography:
Footnote: John Doe, “The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health,” Journal of Social Psychology 22, no. 3 (2021): 150.
Bibliographic Citation: Doe, John. “The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health.” Journal of Social Psychology 22, no. 3 (2021): 150-71.
Example – Author-Date:
Reference Citation: Doe, John. 2021. “The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health.” Journal of Social Psychology 22 (3): 150-71.
In-text Citation: (Doe 2021)
4. Harvard Style
This citation style is used in various disciplines across different universities and primarily emphasizes the author-date citation system. The reference list should contain the author’s last name, first initial, publication year, article title, journal name in italics or underlined, volume number, issue number and page numbers.
Example:
Reference Citation: Doe, J., 2021. The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health. Journal of Social Psychology, 22(3), pp.150-171.
In-text Citation: (Doe, 2021)
In conclusion, selecting an appropriate citation style is crucial for accurately attributing the sources used in your research or academic writing. It’s essential to follow the specific requirements and guidelines for your preferred citation style to ensure that your work is properly credited and easily referenced by readers.