Research Skills for Developing Writers: Citation Vernacular

Citing your sources makes you a better researcher by helping you understand why standards for citation exist.  Just like your address is based on a standard format, so are APA citations.  For example, your American address is always written:

Just like the address has different patterns to tell us whether we are being directed to a house, an apartment, or a business suite, APA citations work exactly the same way.  Once you begin to create the citations, you will notice the patterns within the different formats to help you distinguish whether it refers to a book, a journal article, or a website.

The information you need to cite a book is found on the versa.  A versa is usually the second to third page of a book and contains all the information you need to cite a book. Here is a color-coded example of the a book citation and where you can find the information you need to properly cite. Sometimes the information is found in other areas of the book so if you need help locating the appropriate information, please ask your instructor or a librarian.

Here is a color-coded example of the a journal article citation and where you can find the information you need to properly cite a journal. Sometimes the information is found in other areas of the article so if you need help locating the appropriate information, please ask your instructor or a librarian.

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