Proper citation of sources is crucial for any form of academic writing, especially academic writing meant for scientific publication. Scientific reports are part of the scientific record, and as part of the ethical standards of research, proper credit must be given.
This means following very strict standards for citation of sources in text or in a list of references. Research writers need to stick to strict academic style requirements.
More importantly, you should rigorously follow the reference and style requirements. References and citations are especially important in the Literature Review section, which is found in the Introduction and which is supposed to have dozens of citations.
Academic style requirements will vary by the journal. Important style guides normally used in academic journals include:
The American Medical Association or AMA
Vancouver
Before you go into the details of these style guides, there are three major systems by which references and citations can be formatted. They include 1) the Name and Year System; 2. the Alphabet Number System; and 3. the Citation Order System.
1. Name and Year System
In this style of citation, the name of the author and year of publication are cited in-text, and this in-text citation corresponds to a reference list arranged in alphabetical order. The APA system is a good example of this. An in-text citation would look like this, “Smith and Adam (2016).” This style of academic editing is popular in the social sciences. Because the references are not numbered, they can be added or deleted easily.
However, one major disadvantage of this style is that it may be distracting to the reader. More than two references may have to be cited within one sentence or paragraph. They are usually parenthetical and unrelated to the grammar of the sentence in which they occur. Readers will have to be trained in reading dense academic writing to not be distracted by this.
2. Alphabet Number System
The alphabet number system also has an alphabetically ordered reference list. However, instead of the name and year system in the in-text citations, the citations appear in the form of numbers. Some have criticized the system as it gives the reader too much work to go through a numbered list to locate the name of the source, where it would be easier to simply name the auto directly in the text.
However, this problem can be overcome by strategically including the names of authors in the text. For example, “The positive relationship between educational levels and the willingness to pay higher prices for goods labeled ‘organic’ has been noted by Heymans (12).”
3. Citation Order System
The citation order system means that the references are ordered in the number they appear. So, instead of an alphabetized reference list, you have a reference list that is numbered based on the order they appear in the body of the text. This style of citation is ideal for brief works with a limited number of references. However, for longer academic works it can be troublesome. This is because it will be a chore to add or delete references.
One major advantage for the readers is that this style is easier for the eyes as it does not present a long line of parenthetical text that is unrelated grammatically to the sentence in which it occurs. For this reason, it is popular among semi-academic publications, such as medical blogs — such as Healthline — that reference papers in peer-reviewed journals.
There are a few journals that may take it up on their own to edit your references in case your paper is published. However, generally speaking, this is your responsibility.
The table below shows different reference styles:
Academic Editing Style | In-Text Example | Reference List Example |
APA | Jones et al. (2021) | Acee, T. W., & Weinstein, C. E. (2010). Effects of a value-reappraisal intervention on statistics students’ motivation and performance. The Journal of Experimental Education, 78(4), 487-512. |
CMoS Notes | According to Charles Yu, This was not the case. 1 | 1. Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown (Pantheon Books, 2020), 45. |
MLA | It was found that VR affected exam performance(Acee et al.) | Acee, Taylor W., and Claire Ellen Weinstein. "Effects of a value-reappraisal intervention on statistics students’ motivation and performance." The Journal of Experimental Education 78.4 (2010): 487-512. |
AMA | Superscripted number: Fisher et al. findings challenged this supposition 1. | 1. Fischer MA, Stedman MS, Lii J, et al. Primary medication non-adherence: analysis of 195,930 electronic prescriptions. J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25(4):284–290. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1253-9 |
References and citations can either be included by hand or you could use citation software such as Mendeley, Zotero, and EndNote. The table below shows different academic style guides and examples of each.
Guide to Citing Sources in Various Academic Styles
In this guide, I provide templates and actual examples for citing different source types in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes), and Vancouver styles. The tables explain how to cite a journal paper, online article, book, thesis, and conference paper. Each section includes a table with the citation style, template, and example.
How to cite a journal article
The table below outlines how to cite a journal article in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes styles), and Vancouver styles. Each row provides the academic style, a citation template, and a real example of the following article: Did they or didn't they invent it? Iron in sub-Saharan Africa.
Academic Style | Template | Example |
APA | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, volume, page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxx | Alpern, S. B. (2005). Did they or didn’t they invent it? Iron in sub-Saharan Africa. History in Africa, 32, 41–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0361541300007025 |
MLA | Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. X, Year, pp. XX–XX. DOI. | Alpern, Stanley B. "Did They or Didn’t They Invent It? Iron in Sub-Saharan Africa." History in Africa, vol. 32, 2005, pp. 41–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0361541300007025. |
Chicago Author-Date | Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Title of Article." Journal Name volume: page range. DOI. | Alpern, Stanley B. 2005. "Did They or Didn’t They Invent It? Iron in Sub-Saharan Africa." History in Africa 32: 41–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0361541300007025. |
Chicago Notes | 1. Author First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Journal Name volume (Year): page range, DOI. | 1. Stanley B. Alpern, "Did They or Didn’t They Invent It? Iron in Sub-Saharan Africa," History in Africa 32 (2005): 41–94, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0361541300007025. |
Vancouver | Author AA. Title of article. Journal Name. Year;volume:pages. DOI. | Alpern SB. Did they or didn’t they invent it? Iron in sub-Saharan Africa. Hist Afr. 2005;32:41–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0361541300007025. |
How to cite a book
The table below shows how to cite a book in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes styles), and Vancouver styles. Each row provides the academic style, a citation template, and a real example: namely, The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald.
Academic Style | Template | Example |
APA | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle. Publisher. | Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Scribner. |
MLA | Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publisher, Year. | Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 1925. |
Chicago Author-Date | Author Last Name, First Name. Year. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publisher. | Fitzgerald, F. Scott. 1925. The Great Gatsby. Scribner. |
Chicago Notes | 1. Author First Name Last Name, Title of Book: Subtitle (Publisher, Year). | 1. F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (Scribner, 1925). |
Vancouver | Author AA. Title of book: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. | Fitzgerald FS. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner; 1925. |
How to cite a thesis
The table below demonstrates how to cite a thesis in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes styles), and Vancouver styles. The table provides the academic style, a citation template, and a real example, namely, Olfactory Ethics by Jane Smith.
Academic Style | Template | Example |
APA | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of thesis (Type of thesis). Institution. URL | Smith, J. (2019). Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose (Doctoral dissertation). University of Cambridge. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/528f479f-fd3c-43fd-9463-7c2923560573 |
MLA | Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Thesis. Year. Thesis/dissertation, Institution. URL | Smith, Jane. Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose. 2019. Dissertation, University of Cambridge. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/528f479f-fd3c-43fd-9463-7c2923560573. |
Chicago Author-Date | Author Last Name, First Name. Year. Title of Thesis. Doctoral dissertation, Institution. | Smith, Jane. 2019. Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose. Doctoral dissertation, University of Cambridge. |
Chicago Notes | 1. Author First Name Last Name, Title of Thesis (Type of thesis, Institution, Year). | 1. Jane Smith, Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose (Doctoral dissertation, University of Cambridge, 2019). |
Vancouver | Author AA. Title of thesis [type of thesis]. Place of institution: Institution; Year. URL | Smith J. Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose [dissertation]. Cambridge: University of Cambridge; 2019. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/items/528f479f-fd3c-43fd-9463-7c2923560573. |
How to cite an online article
The table below illustrates how to cite an online article in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes styles), and Vancouver styles. Information is provided regarding the academic style, the citation template, and a real example, namely, my own article, Coffee So Green.
Academic Style | Template | Example |
APA | Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL | Antoine, M. (2023, April 15). Coffee so green. Blue Dot Living. https://bluedotliving.com/coffee-so-green/ |
MLA | Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. | Antoine, M. "Coffee so Green." Blue Dot Living, 15 Apr. 2023, https://bluedotliving.com/coffee-so-green/. |
Chicago Author-Date | Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Title of Article." Website Name. URL. | Antoine, M. 2023. "Coffee so Green." Blue Dot Living. https://bluedotliving.com/coffee-so-green/. |
Chicago Notes | 1. Author First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL. | 1. Melchior Antoine, "Coffee so Green," Blue Dot Living, April 15, 2023, https://bluedotliving.com/coffee-so-green/. |
Vancouver | Author AA. Title of article [Internet]. Website Name; Year [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL | Antoine M. Coffee so green [Internet]. Blue Dot Living; 2023 [cited 2023 Apr 15]. Available from: https://bluedotliving.com/coffee-so-green/. |
How to cite a published conference paper
The table below shows how to cite a book in APA, MLA, Chicago (Author-Date and Notes styles), and Vancouver styles. Each row provides the academic style, a citation template, and a real example, namely another article by me: Analytical skills in statistical applications based on end-of-term students’ self-evaluations.
Academic Style | Template | Example |
APA | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of paper. In Editor (Ed.), Conference Name (pp. XX–XX). Publisher. DOI | Hsu, J. L., & Antoine, M. (2021). Analytical skills in statistical applications based on end-of-term students’ self-evaluations. In S. Chen (Ed.), Innovative Technologies and Learning: 4th International Conference, ICITL 2021 (pp. 389–396). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92104-9_37 |
MLA | Author Last Name, First Name, and Author First Name Last Name. "Title of Paper." Conference Name, edited by Editor, Publisher, Year, pp. XX–XX. DOI. | Hsu, John L., and Melchior Antoine. "Analytical Skills in Statistical Applications Based on End-of-Term Students’ Self-Evaluations." Innovative Technologies and Learning: 4th International Conference, ICITL 2021, edited by Steven Chen, Springer International Publishing, 2021, pp. 389–396. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92104-9_37. |
Chicago Author-Date | Author Last Name, First Name, and Author First Name Last Name. Year. "Title of Paper." In Editor (Ed.), Conference Name, page range. Publisher. DOI. | Hsu, John L., and Mary Antoine. 2021. "Analytical Skills in Statistical Applications Based on End-of-Term Students’ Self-Evaluations." In S. Chen (Ed.), Innovative Technologies and Learning: 4th International Conference, ICITL 2021, 389–396. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92104-9_37. |
Chicago Notes | 1. Author First Name Last Name and Author First Name Last Name, "Title of Paper," in Conference Name, ed. Editor (Publisher, Year), page range, DOI. | 1. John L. Hsu and Melchior Antoine, "Analytical Skills in Statistical Applications Based on End-of-Term Students’ Self-Evaluations," in Innovative Technologies and Learning: 4th International Conference, ICITL 2021, ed. Steven Chen (Springer International Publishing, 2021), 389–396, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92104-9_37. |
Vancouver | Author AA, Author BB. Title of paper. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Conference Name. Place: Publisher; Year. p. pages. DOI. | Hsu JL, Antoine M. Analytical skills in statistical applications based on end-of-term students’ self-evaluations. In: Chen S, editor. Innovative Technologies and Learning: 4th International Conference, ICITL 2021. Springer International Publishing; 2021. p. 389–396. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92104-9_37. |
The examples of how to cite various sources that have been provided are on a limited number of academic styles. However, there are several other style guides that have not been covered. When writing academic papers, always ensure that your style of citation follows closely the required style guide.
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