Citations

How do we document our sources in our

research paper?

Prepared by Irene Chiotis

 Three reasons to Document Sources

1.Documented sources act as support (evidence) for

your thesis. https://openclipart.org/detail/212160/contact-document

2.To let the reader know that you have carefully

researched your ideas.

3.To tell the reader where to find the original source if

she/he wants to learn more about your topic.

4.To avoid plagiarism, a serious offense in academic

writing in the United States
In your field you will document using
APA
Documentation Style

Business, Engineering and Social Sciences

 Rules for Documenting Sources

Documentation occurs in two places in your research

paper:

1.Within the text of your paper (in-text citations)

2. At the end of your paper in a reference list

 Here are examples of how the documentation for the same source looks in these two placed

Documentation- Within a paper (in-text citation):

Elaine Harper (2001) writes that later born children are more
likely to pursue nontraditional careers.

At the end of the paper(reference list entry)

Harper, E. (2001). Birth order and adult personality. New York: Collins, Inc
 In Text Citations
In the APA system, a citation includes the following three pieces of information;

• The name of the author

• The year of the source

• The page number (required only for quotations).

Citations occur : within the sentence or at the end of the sentence.
 CITING YOUR SOURCE WITHIN THE SENTENCE

Last name of the Date Reporting Verb

author
Author and date Last name only • Include the • Choose an
are separate. year only appropriate
• Place in verb to
parentheses introduce your
• No extra evidence
punctuation, if • Use the simple
no date is given present tense
write n.d.

Example

Bellafonte (1992) argues that genetic factors have played a role in people’s need to take risks.
 CITING YOUR SOURCE AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE

Last name of the Date Title

author
Author and date • Last name only • Year only. If no • Not included
are placed • Place in date is given
together parentheses write n.d.
• Place after
author’s name.
• Put a period
after the
parenthesis
mark

Example

Extreme sports provide only a short-term superficial sense of satisfaction (Bellafonte, 1992).
 Special Citation Situations

Quotations

• All quotations require a page number.

• Put quotation marks around quoted material.

• Put the page number after quoted material in parenthesis.

• Put a period outside parenthesis.

 Examples of Direct Quotations

Citation within the sentence: Souza (1997) writes that “these spiraling human demands

for resources are beginning to outgrow the earth’s

resources” (p.31).

Citation at the end of the sentence: “The key to building a sustainable society rests with
changing cultural attitudes among young people”
(Hawkins, 2006, p. 188).
 Idea Taken From More Than One Source

• Include all the sources in your citation

• Use the end-of-sentence format
• List the authors alphabetically
• Separate sources with a semicolon

Example

We cannot rely on technology to solve our problems (Feisk, 1995; Punon, 1995).
 Unknown Author

If the author’s name is not given, you will need to use the title of the source instead.

• Use the quotations around the source title.

• Include the year.

• Use the full title in the first citation.

• In later citations, use only the first two to four words of the title.
 Example

Citation within the sentence: “Choosing your Friends Wisely; How to Develop Lasting
Friendships” (2204) describes three common mistakes that occur in
new relationships.

Citation at the end of the sentence: There are three common mistakes that occur in relationships
(“Choosing Your Friends Wisely: How to Develop Lasting
Friendships,” 2004).
Thank You!