When writing a paper for a research project, you will likely need to cite a research paper that you used as a reference. The basic information included in your appointment will be the same in all styles. However, the format in which the information is presented will be somewhat different depending on whether you are going to use the style of the American Psychological Association (APA, in English), that of the Modern Languages Association of America (MLA, in English), Chicago or the American Medical Association (AMA).
Steps
Method 1 of 4: APA
Step 1. Start with the author's last name and first initial
In APA style, the author's name is reversed, that is, the last name is included first. Put a comma after it and then the first initial. Separate the names of multiple authors with commas, using the "and" before the last name.
For example: "Kringle, K., and Frost, J"
Step 2. Indicate the year of publication of the article
If this was published in an academic journal, include the year in parentheses after the authors' names. If it wasn't published, write the year the article was written.
- For example: "Kringle, K., and Frost, J. (2012)".
- If the date or any other information is not available, use the guide at
Step 3. Enter the title of the research paper
Use capital letters at the beginning of the sentence to write the full title of the research paper, that is, put the first word and proper names in capital letters. If you have a subtitle, put a colon and capitalize the first word of it.
- For example: "Kringle, K., and Frost, J. (2012). Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer".
- If you found the research work in a database managed by a university, society, or other organization, include any classification number assigned to the work in parentheses after the title. For example: "Kringle, K., and Frost, J. (2012). Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer. (Report # 1234)".
Step 4. Include information about where you found the article
If this was published in an academic magazine or newspaper, use the same format that you would use for any other article. For unpublished articles, provide as much information as possible to direct readers to research work.
For example: "Kringle, K., and Frost, J. (2012). Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer. (Report # 1234). Retrieved from library archives of the University of Alaska, December 24, 2017 "
Step 5. Use a quotation in parentheses in the development of your article
When writing a statement that comes from your research work, include the authors' last names along with the year it was published or written.
- For example: "(Kringle and Frost, 2012)".
- If there is no date in the research work, use the abbreviation s.f.: "(Kringle and Frost, n.d.)".
Method 2 of 4: Chicago
Step 1. Start with the names of the authors
Reverses the first author's name so that the last name appears first. Subsequent authors' names must be written in the regular order. Write the names and use an initial for the middle name if it is provided in the research paper.
For example: "Kringle, Kris, and Jack Frost"
Step 2. Include the title of the research paper
The title of the work is capitalized for titles, that is, most adjectives, nouns and verbs should be capitalized, but articles and conjunctions should not. Titles are enclosed in quotation marks and, after these, you must include the type of work.
For example: "Kringle, Kris, and Jack Frost." Red Noses, Warm Hearts: The Glowing Phenomenon among North Pole Reindeer. "Master's thesis."
Step 3. Provide the place and year of publication
If the work was not published, by the date you must use the year in which it was written. If it was published, you should follow the general rules for citing an article in the Chicago style.
For example: "Kringle, Kris, and Jack Frost." Red Noses, Warm Hearts: The Glowing Phenomenon among North Pole Reindeer. "Master's thesis, University of Alaska, 2012"
Step 4. Include any additional information needed to locate the job
If you accessed the job online, you must add a direct URL so that readers can locate it directly like you. If the job has a database number assigned to it, it can also help readers find it more easily.
For example: "Kringle, Kris, and Jack Frost." Red Noses, Warm Hearts: The Glowing Phenomenon among North Pole Reindeer. "Master's Thesis, University of Alaska, 2012. Viewed at https://www.northpolemedical.com/ raising_rudolf "
Step 5. Follow your teacher's guidance for in-text citations
Research papers in the Chicago and Turabian styles (simplified version of the Chicago style) may use footnotes or parenthetical citations to cite references in the development of the work.
- The footnotes are essentially the same as the full citation, although the first and last names are not reversed.
- For citations in parentheses, Chicago uses the author-date format. For example: "(Kringle and Frost 2012)".
Method 3 of 4: MLA
Step 1. Start with the authors of the paper
Reverse the authors' names so that you include their last names first, then their first names. Write names and separate multiple authors with commas.
For example: "Kringle, Kris, and Frost, Jack"
Step 2. Provide the title of the research paper
In MLA, add the title and subtitle in quotation marks. Also, capitalize most words, but not short articles or conjunctions, unless they are the first word of the title or subtitle.
For example: "Kringle, Kris, and Frost, Jack." Red Noses, Warm Hearts: The Glowing Phenomenon Among North Pole Reindeer. "
Step 3. Identify the location of the job
MLA applies the concept of containers. Your work is part of a larger set, which may in turn be part of a larger set. In your appointment, include the smallest container first, followed by the largest, and so on.
For example, suppose you found the job in a collection of papers kept in university archives. Your quote could be: "Kringle, Kris, and Frost, Jack." Red Noses, Warm Hearts: The Glowing Phenomenon Among North Pole Reindeer. "Master's thesis 2000-2010. University of Alaska Library Archives. Date of accessed: December 24, 2017 "
Step 4. Use parenthetical references in the development of your work
After mentioning something in your paper that requires citing the research paper, put the authors' names in parentheses along with the number of the page on which the information appears.
For example: "(Kringle and Frost, p. 33)"
Method 4 of 4: AMA
Step 1. Start with the author's last name and first initial
A citation in AMA begins with the names of the authors or editors of the work. Don't use any punctuation except a comma between the names. If there are more than 6 authors, include the first 3 followed by the abbreviation "et al."
For example: "Kringle K, Frost J"
Step 2. Provide the capitalized title at the beginning of the sentence
In this case, you should only capitalize the first word and the proper names included in the title of the article. If there is a subtitle, include it after a colon with the first letter capitalized at the beginning.
For example: "Kringle K, Frost J. Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer."
Step 3. Include the journal data if the work was published
A research paper published in an academic journal should be treated like any other journal article. Therefore, include the abbreviated title of the journal in italics followed by the year of publication, the number of the journal and the pages on which the work appears.
For example: "Kringle K, Frost J. Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer. Nat Med. 2012; 18 (9): 1429-1433"
Step 4. Provide location information if the job has not been published
If the work was presented at a conference or symposium, include the conference venue details. If you found it online, please provide the direct link and the date you signed in.
- For example, if you were citing a paper presented at a conference, you would write: "Kringle K, Frost J. Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer. Oral presentation at the Arctic Health Association Annual Summit. Arctic Health Association); Dec 2017; Nome, Alaska ".
- To cite a work you read online, you would write: "Kringle K, Frost J. Red noses, warm hearts: The glowing phenomenon among North Pole reindeer.
Step 5. Use superscript numbers in the development of your work
For in-text citations, include a superscript number after the information you need the citation for. You will develop your bibliography as you write the work, with the citations listed in the order in which they are annotated in your text.
- For example: "According to Kringle and Frost, these red noses indicate a subspecies of reindeer native to Alaska and Canada that have migrated to the North Pole and mixed with reindeer from the North Pole.1".