Citing Your Sources
For key basic differences between MLA and APA formatting and citations, we recommend this Scribbr resource. Note that the Purdue OWL citation chart (MLA, APA, Chicago) to which we used to link has not been updated to reflect APA 7 (2020) guidelines.
Integrating sources into your writing: this useful James Madison UWC video shares effective summary, paraphase, and quotation tactics. It offers examples and tips as it addresses intellectual property/giving credit, building credibility, and plagiarism questions.
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American Medical Association (AMA)
JMU Libraries AMA Resources page: includes a link to the online AMA Manual of Style.
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Psychological Association (APA) style is the preferred citation system of the social sciences and is often used in other disciplines. In October 2019, the APA published its 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
APA 7
- Your first best online resource for APA 7 formatting and style help is the APA website: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines. Scroll down on the APA page for formatting guidelines, help with in-text citations and References sections, sample papers, and a suite of APA 7 grammar and style guidelines.
- APA Style Blog (7th ed.): the APA 7 Style Blog still features fewer than 50 entries, and APA 7 came out more than 30 months ago. Many of the initial articles on the page identify and explain key differences between APA 6 and APA 7.
- Purdue OWL APA 7 Style: Purdue's resources are always accurate and useful.
- JMU Libraries APA Resources page
APA 6 (most—if not all—JMU disciplines ask that you follow APA 7 guidelines)
- Purdue OWL APA 6 Style
- APA Style Blog 6th Edition Archive and APA Style Blog (6th ed.) FAQ page
- APA 6 general formatting advice (a UWC-created resource): this 2-page UWC-created handout outlines APA 6 formatting and section contents
- APA 6 annotated sample paper and style guide: this UWC-created resource attempts to answer every APA 6 content, style, and formatting question you could possibly think to ask.
- JMU Libraries APA Resources page
- UNC University Libraries APA 6 resources
Paraphrases and quotations in APA
How to effectively integrate paraphrases into your essay
Short quotations vs. long quotations
American Political Science Association (APSA)
American Sociological Association (ASA)
Quick Tips for ASA Style: a two-page PDF straight from the American Sociological Association that offers help with in-text citations and References section formatting.
Associated Press (AP)
Associated Press Style (AP Style) is the constantly updated set of guidelines observed by American newspapers and magazines, as well as many businesses and universities (including JMU). The AP Stylebook is used by writers and editors for formatting, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and word choice. The Stylebook also addresses newswriting concerns like attribution, source identification, and photography.
AP Stylebook Online - If you're on campus, you can access the onine AP Stylebook through the JMU Libraries (lib.jmu.edu). Just type "AP Stylebook" into the general search bar. If you're off campus and and affiliated with JMU, you can access the Stylebook through the JMU Libraries by using the Pulse Secure method available here: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/connect/.
Citations in AP Style
Sources: AP Style does not have a citation format. Instead, introduce and frame secondary sources as fully as you would introduce direct and indirect quotations. The aim always is to foreground your source's credibility and thus your credibility. See https://penandthepad.com/cite-ap-style-8498832.html.
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Bluebook legal citations
Bluebook citation format is used by lawyers, judges, and law students.
Overview, explanations, and examples
The Bluebook Quick Style Guide
"Maroonbook: the University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation": an attempt to simplify the 500-page Bluebook.
Chicago and Turabian
Chicago and Turabian refer to a set of (essentially identical) formatting and citation guidelines commonly used in the social sciences and in some professional publications.
- The Chicago Manual of Style has been around since 1906. Now in its 17th edition, CMOS tries to address every possible question, and many other academic styles build on or adapt Chicago style.
- The Turabian Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, published by the same University of Chicago Press that offers the CMOS, has been around since 1937 and is the more accessible, portable style manual for student writers.
New to CMOS? Check out this quick reference Purdue OWL citation chart, which can help you translate your MLA or APA knowledge to Chicago.
Chicago Manual of Style Online: increasingly user friendly and available to JMU students; non-JMU users can register for a free trial.
Chicago Style Citation Quick Guide: the CMOS Quick Guide can help you address key first concerns.
Turabian Style Quick Guide: if you're writing your first Chicago paper, and you don't know the first thing about Chicago Style, start with this resource. It offers a bit of introduction and then a tab in the middle of the page for switching between footnotes-bibliography style (literature, history, art) and author-date style (physical, natural, and social sciences).
Sample Chicago-formatted paper
JMU Libraries Chicago/Turabian Resources page
Council for Science Editors (CSE/CBE)
JMU Libraries Council for Science (formerly Biology) Editors Guide
Modern Language Association (MLA)
MLA style is the preferred citation system for the humanities. The 9th edition of the MLA Handbook (2021) offers additional advice and examples for the range of sources you might engage in your text and include on your Works Cited page.
MLA 8/9 Works Cited entries guide: this handy resource from the Saginaw Valley State University Writing Center offers a quick, comprehensive sense of the basic components and considerations involved in citing any source. Note that MLA 9 clarifies but does not revise MLA 8.
