Citing Sources
There are four options for citing sources. See below for more details on each option.
Cite by Hand
Our favorite style guide web site is the OWL from Purdue University.
Start from their Research and Citation Resources main page, or go directly to their sections for citing in these styles:
Check their left-hand menu to see all types of citation examples.
Style Books in the Library
Publication Manual of the American Psychological AssociationCall Number: BF76.7 .P83 2010Publication Date: 2010-01-01
American Sociologcical Association Style GuideCall Number: HM569 .A54 2014Publication Date: 2014-01-01
- Chicago Manual of Style Online
The Chicago Manual of Style Online is a guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. It is a reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, providing sound, definitive advice.
Citation Generators in Library Databases
If your references are from one of our databases, such as Fusion, use the auto-citation generator tool. These citation tools will take the information from the research article and will generate a citation in the most common citation formats (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian and others). You can then copy and paste that information into your bibliography, making sure to double-check it for errors.
Quick Formatting Tools
Type all the information into a free quick formatting tools (best for a few citations):
- KnightCite (APA, MLA, Chicago)
- Citation Builder (APA or MLA)
- Noodle Tool Express (APA, MLA, Chicago)
Citation Management Tools
If you have 10 or more citations or a few citations you plan to use again, you may consider using a citation management tool such as RefWorks, so you can use & re-use them as needed (and have some extra options for organizing them and managing PDFs).
- RefWorks
RefWorks allows users to create personal databases to manage, store, and share the information citations/references. Users can automatically insert references from their database into their papers and generate formatted bibliographies and manuscripts in seconds. See our RefWorks Guide for information about creating accounts, adding references, and using add-ons.
Zotero
Generate bibliographies and organize PDFs with this free, open source citation management tool.
Visit Zotero.org to download Zotero and set up an account. Loyola Marymount University has created some great video tutorials on how to get started with the standalone version of Zotero on PC and how to integrate Zotero with your word processor. For getting started with Mac, view this tutorial.