Skip to Main Content

Citation and Writing Guide

Citing Sources Banner

Blue icon showing blue, white, and red chat bubbles   Your paper, essay, speech, presentation, or other work

   should be a dialogue between your thoughts and ideas

   and the information in your sources.

Citation Styles

Why do we cite?

  • Avoiding plagiarism 
  • Showing readers (and professors) that you have done your research 
  • Providing information that allows readers to find the sources you used 
  • Giving credit to authors and content creators 

How do we cite?

  • Citation style guides provide guidelines on formatting citations
  • Consistent formatting allows for citations to be read and understood easily 
  • In-text citations identify all words or ideas that are not your own 

What citation style should I use?

  • The type of citation style that is best for your assignment depends on which discipline your course is in and your instructor's preferences.
  • Certain majors or professional fields use certain styles:
    • APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, and Sciences
    • MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used by the Humanities
    • Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts
  • Be sure to check your assignment or syllabus, or ask your instructor to make sure you use the citation style they prefer!

Use the tabs at the top of this box for help using specific citation styles

American Medical Association Citation Style

Primarily used in the health sciences.

American Psychological Association Citation Style

Used by Education, Psychology, Social Sciences, and Science

Chicago Style

Primarily used by Business, History, and Fine Arts

Council of Science Editors Style

Primarily used by the Sciences

Modern Language Association Style

Primarily used by the Humanities

Citation Creation and Managment Tools

Many library databases and online tools will generate source citations for you. It is important to remember that while these tools are incredibly helpful, they are not 100% reliable! You should always double-check any auto-generated citations for accuracy before submitting your assignment.

Citation managers help you to quickly create, store, and access your citations. Some allow you to store your research documents and auto-generate bibliographies.

Retrieving Citations in CardinalSearch

  • In the results screen, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the source record
  • In the expanded menu that appears at the bottom of the source record, click "Citation"
  • Select the appropriate citation style on the left side of the content box, then copy the citation to your clipboard

Retrieving Citations in Ebsco Databases

  • In the results screen, click on the the title of the source you want to cite
  • In the Tools menu on the right side of the source record screen, select "Cite"
  • Scroll down to copy the appropriate citation style in the middle of the page

Retrieving Citations in ProQuest Databases

  • In the results screen, click on the quotation mark icon to the right of the source you want to cite
  • Use the drop down menu in the pop-up window to select the appropriate citation style
  • Hit the "Copy" button to copy the citation to your clipboard

Getting Help: Writing and Speaking Centers



© 2025 North Central College. All rights reserved.