A citation gives credit to the source of information. Include a citation when you are using someone's words. Do not cite your own words. Researchers will cite themselves if they are referencing a paper that they wrote at an earlier time, then they will cite that paper.
Quotation: the exact words that someone else used
Paraphrase: not the exact words; expresses the same ideas using different words
Summary: briefly breaks down what the author said in different words and with only the main ideas
A Parenthetical Citation is another word for In-Text Citation.
Whatever you call it, you simply need to tell your reader where you found the information that you are citing.
A Citation provides enough information for your reader to find the information that you are Citing. Citing means that you are telling the reader that the words, ideas, or descriptions come from someone else.
You must tell the source and enough information that your reader can find it. The in-text citation needs to have a full citation listed in your Reference List (in APA) or Works Cited page (in MLA).
In other words, you only need to provide 2 items in your in-text citation.
The Citation Format (APA, MLA, or something else) is required by your Professor. Look in the Syllabus for the class, the Assignment Page, or in your Notes. Only your Professor can answer which format to use. Most Iowa Lakes Community College Professors (and professors that teach undergraduate students at other institutions) require either MLA or APA.
Ask. Call, email, or stop by their office and ask them. If you cannot reach them, ask your classmates.
If you have no idea, then you can guess either MLA or APA or make two copies, one with MLA and the other with APA. Save yourself some stress and make sure you know long before the due date.
A good rule of thumb is to alternate how you write each source. For example, you would not want to start each sentence with "Accord to" as this is repetitive and quite boring for your reader (a grading professor might really appreciate your variety).
APA Format
Source: The basics are listed here. For more information, follow the links at the bottom of this page. For quotes more than 40 words (usually not a good idea to use), you must indent entire paragraph.
Date: Be as specific as necessary for the reader to find the source. For books, this is the publication year. For something that is published regularly, such as a newspaper or magazine, then include the month (and date). For example, for a daily newspaper, you would need the full date in order to find the correct paper.
Page: Include the page of a direct quote. You do not need a page number if you are paraphrasing a publication. You also do not need a page number for a publication that does not have one, such as an website. Do NOT use the page of something that you printed out. Use only the page numbers listed on the publication. Leave the citation without a page number if you do not have one.
Example: The first source had one author, the second source had 3 authors. The third source was an online encyclopedia. And the fourth source had more than 5 authors.
According to Smith (2018), "Tesla was the greatest inventor in history" (p. 213). Hamm, Jones, and Rogers (2017) state that Edison stole many of Telsa's inventions (p. 112). The Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography (2018) state that Tesla "gave the world one of the most practical devices of all time" (para. 9). Tesla died a broken man (Martinez et al., 2010, para. 5).
MLA Format
Source: You can list 2 authors. For 3 or more authors, list the first author followed by et al.
Page: Include the page number for all entries. You may have to include further details to distinguish between multiple pieces by the same author, multiple authors with the same surname (last name), multiple editions of a publication, and so forth.
Example: The first source had one author, the second source had 3 authors. The third source was an online encyclopedia. And the fourth source had more than 5 authors.
According to Smith, "Tesla was the greatest inventor in history" (213). Hamm, Jones, and Rogers (2017) state that Edison stole many of Telsa's inventions (112). The Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography state that Tesla "gave the world one of the most practical devices of all time". Tesla died a broken man (Martinez et al.).
Use the following links to find more information about APA and MLA In-Text Citations.
