A citation is a brief reference to a book, article, website, etc. with the complete information needed to identify and locate the work. This information generally includes the name of the author, title, publication, date, and page number(s).

There are several different styles for creating citations. Follow your professor’s instructions for selecting a style, or use the style most appropriate to your research discipline.

These are two of the most popular citation styles that will help you record citations and create bibliographies or reference lists in your research papers.

  APA (American Psychological Association) - often used for the Social Sciences and Business.

APA Guide 
APA Style.org
Diana Hacker’s model APA paper

  MLA (Modern Language Association) - most often used for the Humanities.

MLA Handbook FAQ
MLA Formatting and Style Guide from the OWL at Purdue
Diana Hacker’s model MLA paper

  Citations to Electronic Resources:

For basic information and examples on how to cite electronic resources according to various styles including APA and MLA, consult Citation Styles Online.