Citation Styles To Use For College Assignments To Demonstrate Authority & Credibility

College Students need to add different types of citation styles in their assignments. Each one is used specifically according to the type of topic and its requirements. Without proper reference, an assignment is just written words without research and proof. Let’s get to know these styles for exceptional work.

What is Citation & Why Students Use Them 

A citation is mentioning sources such as books, journals and the writer’s name in an assignment. These are also called references and are used at the end of a book, college assignment or research work. They provide value in terms of authenticity but also direction and inspiration to students. With the appropriate usage of references, students will be able to achieve top grades on their assignments. A student’s entire assignment is rejected in many colleges and universities if citations are not used or are partially used. Thus rendering no choice for students to submit their work without it. Students need to better equip themselves by having a custom essay writing service at their disposal.

Types of Citation Styles Students Must Learn

The different types of reference styles offer diversity and usability to students. There are many techniques to use these citations, and they each provide their benefit. Typically, your professor or educational institution informs you what style is most needed or suitable. It’s a choice for students as well to choose which serves the purpose better. Therefore, it’s important to research and cite sources to be an effective writer. Here is the list of citation formats that will provide in-depth information to students. Commonly used reference styles are mentioned below. 

• APA Format (American Psychological Association)

• MLA Format (Modern Language Association) 

• Chicago Format 

• Turabian Style 

APA Format (American Psychological Association) & its Uses

APA format is widely used for scientific research and academic purposes. Since its inception after 1920, it’s been a hallmark of reference mention techniques. Its current version is the 7th, with some new modifications and the rest of the carryovers. Let’s look at it from an expert’s opinion.

Uses of APA Style

Academic writings such as scholarly articles, books, journals, or research papers follow a composing style and a writing format of APA citation.

Common study areas

Its general use commonly revolves around the study areas of social sciences and behavioral Studies.

For Instance

The American Psychological Association (APA) description is given in the citation guide, termed the “Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.” For achieving the goals of precision in communication and choice of words for reducing partiality in language, specific rules were introduced to help understand reading in the study areas of social and behavioral sciences.

7th Revision

APA citation style is broadly used for several scholarly works such as health journals, medical writings, textbooks, or academic papers, whether with alterations or as original. The latest and most authentic edition of APA styles after revision is its 7th edition.

Method of author-date

Author-date methodology of in-text citation must be followed when using APA format. It mentions the publication year as the source evidence, and the author’s last name should be in the text, for instance (Jimmy, 1997); for quoting directly, page number can also be displayed such as (Jimmy, 1997, p. 19) and its complete general reference should appear after the conclusion of the article.

MLA style of reference writing is a well-known format in humanities. The rules for acknowledging the sources used in a research article are formed by Modern Language Association (MLA). It is the easiest style for citation. This is why all school and college essays feature this technique. Some of the salient features of this style are the following.

Format

For referencing sources, a two-part parenthesis style is used for the documentation of writing in MLA style. In the in-text citation, the alphabetical words point to the reference list at the documentation’s end. With the mutual help of both of these citations, the sources get the required credentials and grant access to the reader to reach the source.

Guidelines

In MLA citation, for quick identification and making the readers able to find the basic information in the Reference list, the writer does the citation for the sources in the article. We must only share the citation required to identify the source type in these references. Therefore, the citation in parentheses must be kept to the point to maintain clarity and preciseness. The parenthetical citation should be placed where a general pause may be expected, probably at the end of the sentence.

Citation in Parenthesis Rules

• The citation in parenthesis must be as close to its source as possible, and having the page reference and the author’s last name is enough.

• Repetition must be avoided for the data provided in parenthesis and the in-text citation. Instead, it must be relatable. If the author’s name is included in a statement, it must not be replicated in the parenthesis sentence.

• The citation in parenthesis must proceed with the punctuation concluding the sentence containing the reference material. Electronic or online citation sources are done as similar to printed sources in the form of parenthesis references.

• Suppose there comes an error in online sources citation as omitting page numbers or numbers from parenthetical references. In that case, it must be fixed to the right, and the citation of corresponding numbers should be done.

For instance

In the text, Writer’s name, such as Jimmy, has spoken these words (121-45). And Writer’s name in reference as these words have been said (Jimmy 121-45).

Chicago style reference is a common technique used for business and historical writing. Its use started in the early 20th century and spread rapidly worldwide. It has gone through many changes and modifications in over 100 years. It has entered its 17th version with major changes over the 16th edition. 

Types

In Chicago styles for citation, the following are some of its types: 1. Notes and Bibliography. 2. Author-Date.

Chicago presents the Notes and the Bibliography style of citation and bears no linkage with the official publication of type.

Formation of Bibliography in Chicago style

Bibliography

A record of all the sources of evidence used in writing is termed the Bibliography. The significant nitty-gritty of the publication of the seeds is also listed.

Format of Bibliography

The Bibliography must always be in line with the following format.

Single Spacing Rule

The rule of single spacing is followed in the referencing record or Bibliography.

Alphabetical Order

An alphabetical arrangement of the last names of the writers must be made.

Margins

The margin must be indented in the second line of the source.

For Instance

Within the text, citations, whether full or half, are displayed in the text in the form of short references.

Requirements

In Chicago style citation, one must give a short citation comprising the writer’s name and the publication date in the most straightforward arrangement when citing the source of data within the writing text. Such as, there are many reasons for plant immovability (Jimmy 2011, 56-76).

Turabian Citation Style

Turabian style is a derivative of the Chicago format. It was invented by Kate L. Turabian and used similarly in Chicago. There’s hardly a significant difference between them. Both of these styles are used interchangeably when referencing the research.

Types of Turabian style

Here are some of the kinds of Turabian styles:

Notes-Bibliography Style:

This style constitutes the Bibliography at the end of the documentation, a subscript or lower-case number in the text, and a footnote at the end page.

Author-Date:

With the placement of writer date referencing such as (Jimmy 2002), the Writer indicates the utilization of a source within the body of the documentation. The Bibliography is also included at the end of the writing.

For Instance

In this style, brief citation of sources is done in parentheses in the text, including Writer’s last name and Publication year. In reference list where all of the bibliographic data is included coincides with each of the citations in the text. Such as Jimmy, PCR, 34-36.

Conclusion

After reading this blog, students have a complete idea of how to use citation styles in their writing. Adding references in the proper way required by the college enhances successful submission and good results. Students may also use a bibliography writing service to get a custom-made solution effortlessly and cheaply.