When writing a scientific research paper, you probably need to cite a laboratory manual. The format and specific information you include will vary depending on the citation style you use. In the world of science, the styles most used are that of the American Psychological Association (APA), that of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and that of the Council of Scientific Editors (CSE).
Steps
Method 1 of 3: APA Style
Step 1. Start by including the name of the department as the author
Generally, the APA style starts with the name of the author of the referenced document. However, if you are citing a lab manual, you must use the name of the university department for which the manual was created. After writing it, put a period.
For example: "Department of Biology."
Step 2. Write the year and semester in parentheses
Immediately after putting the department name (in place of the author's name), write the year the lab manual was used and then a comma. Next, write the semester in which the manual was used (generally, you should write “fall” or “spring”). The name of the semester must begin with a capital letter. Finally, put a period after the closing parentheses.
For example: "Department of Biology. (2018, Spring)."
Step 3. Write the title of the lab manual in parentheses
Immediately after including the date, capitalize the title of the manual. Remember that you only have to capitalize the first word and the proper nouns present in the title. If the course name is mentioned, use the same capital letters used in the course catalog. Finally, put a period.
For example: "Department of Biology. (2018, Spring). BIOL 101 laboratory manual."
Step 4. Include the location and name of the college
In the next part of the quote, include the city and region or province where the university is located followed by a colon and the name of the institution. Finally, put a period at the end of the name.
For example: "Department of Biology. (2018, Spring). BIOL 101 laboratory manual. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
Step 5. Include a URL if you are referring to an online manual
If the lab manual is available on the Internet, such as on a course website, end the citation by including the URL where the manual can be found. Type the phrase "Retrieved from" followed by the site's title (or a description, in case the site doesn't have a title), and then copy the entire URL. Finally, put a period at the end of the quote.
For example: "Department of Biology. (2018, Spring). BIOL 101 laboratory manual. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved from the class website at https:// unc. edu / courses / bio / 101 / lab_manual.pdf. "
Step 6. Use the author and date system for text citations
In addition to the bibliography, you should also provide in-text citations at the end of a sentence that directly reference or quote the lab manual. Put the name of the department and the year the manual was used in parentheses.
For example: "(Department of Biology, 2018)"
Method 2 of 3: ACS Style
Step 1. Begin by entering the name of the instructor
Generally, in the ACS style, a lab manual is viewed as a book whose author is the instructor of the class in which it was used. Fill in the teacher's last name and first name, followed by his or her middle initial. Finally, put a period.
For example: "Curie, Marie S."
Step 2. Italicize the title of the lab manual
Write the title of the lab manual using capital letters in all words except conjunctions, articles, and prepositions. Then put a semicolon in round, not italic.
For example: "Curie, Marie S. Chemistry 1102 Laboratory Manual;"
Step 3. Include the name of the university as the publisher
Since the instructor is employed by the university where he teaches, the name of the institution should be located where the publisher would normally be included. Put the full name of the university without abbreviations. Lastly, put in a colon.
For example: "Curie, Marie S. Chemistry 1102 Laboratory Manual; Harvard University:"
Step 4. Include the college location
After the colon, include the name of the city and the state or province where the university is located. Use the standard abbreviations for the region, then add a comma.
For example: "Curie, Marie S. Chemistry 1102 Laboratory Manual; Harvard University: Cambridge, MA,"
Step 5. Include the year the lab manual was published
Consider the year the manual was used as the year of publication. You will usually find the year on the cover or on the first page of the manual. End the quote with a period, unless you are including a page number.
For example: "Curie, Marie S. Chemistry 1102 Laboratory Manual; Harvard University: Cambridge, MA, 2017."
Step 6. Add the page number if necessary
Depending on the style of in-text citations you use, you could include endnotes instead of a separate bibliography or references. If the quotes are endnotes, you may need to point to the specific page you are referring to. Use a semicolon instead of a period after entering the year of publication. Then write "p" without a period, leave a space, and add the page number.
For example: "Curie, Marie S. Chemistry 1102 Laboratory Manual; Harvard University: Cambridge, MA, 2017; p 21."
Step 7. Use the appropriate method for in-text citations
In the ACS style, there are three possible ways to cite references in text. This method will depend on what the instructor or supervisor indicates.
- Superscript numbers appear outside of any punctuation and refer directly to the final grade. If you use superscript numbers, your final notes should include specific page numbers when necessary.
- Another method is to place italicized numbers in parentheses. These should be placed within any punctuation and also refer to the final notes, which would include specific page numbers whenever necessary.
- The instructor or supervisor may also prefer text citations in parentheses in “author-date” format. With this method, the citation should not necessarily include specific page numbers. Instead, you should write the page number inside the parenthetical citation if necessary.
Method 3 of 3: CSE Style
Step 1. Choose the correct style variation
In the CSE style, there are three accepted variations: the name-year style (also known as Harvard), the citation sequence (also known as the Vancouver style), and the citation-name style. If you use the CSE style, check with your instructor or supervisor to determine which style you prefer.
- The Harvard style uses citations in author-date parentheses and has an alphabetical list of references. This is the preferred method for the CSE style, so use it in case you were not given any other guidance.
- The Vancouver and citation-name styles use superscript numbers to refer to a numbered bibliography. Citations in the bibliography are ordered by their first mention in the document.
Step 2. Begin by typing the name of the author
In a laboratory manual, the author is usually the teacher or instructor of the class in which it was used. Start by typing their last name, then a comma, and finally the initials of their names (capitalized without periods or spaces). Finally, place a period after the author's name.
For example: "Nye, WS."
Step 3. Write the year after the author's name if you use the Harvard style
If you use this style, you should write the year of publication after the author's name. Usually this is the year the manual was used. Put a period at the end.
For example: "Nye, WS. 2016."
Step 4. Include a title and description
The title of the manual should be placed after the author's name (Vancouver style) or the year of publication (Harvard style). Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in the title. In the case of course names or abbreviations, they must appear in the capital letters in which they originally appear. Put the words "lab manual" in brackets after the title to include a description. Finally, put a period.
- Harvard-style example: "Nye, WS. 2016. Chemistry 213L lab manual [lab manual].".
- Vancouver style example: "Nye, WS. To 213L laboratory manual [laboratory manual].".
Step 5. Enter the location and name of the publisher
In a laboratory manual, the university where the instructor or teacher teaches is generally regarded as the publisher. Includes the city where the educational institution is located followed by the state or province in parentheses. Place a colon after the location information and then include the name of the college. If you use the Harvard style, put a period at the end. For the Vancouver style, place a semicolon after the name of the university.
- Harvard-style example: "Nye, WS. 2016. Chemistry 213L laboratory manual [laboratory manual]. Buffalo (NY): University at Buffalo.",
- Vancouver style example: "Nye, WS. Lab manual [lab manual]. Buffalo (NY): University at Buffalo;".
Step 6. Put the year at the end in case you use the Vancouver style and the citation-name style
If you use one of these styles, you will still need to include the year the lab manual was published. These styles include it at the end of the citation rather than immediately after the author's name as in the Harvard style.