Most students who are reading this blog post don’t know how to cite sources in an essay. Don’t worry, you are definitely not the only one in this situation. Our internal reviews show that more than 78% of students require some help citing and referencing their sources. In fact, this is why we have asked our experienced academic writers to help you with all the information, tips and advice they can.
In this article, you will learn how to reference in an essay without making any of the most common mistakes that get students penalized. We will also give you at least one citation in essay example for every academic writing format. Finally, our FAQ section is the place where you can find answers to your most pressing questions.
What is a reference in an essay? How does the structure of a citation look like? Where do I place citations and references? Get answers to all your questions in just a couple of minutes. Let’s get started!
Table Of Contents
What Is Reference In An Essay?
Before we get to the examples, we want to make sure you know everything about citations and references. So, what is a reference?
The reference is an acknowledgement of the work and contribution of other people to your essay. Citations and references are both part of the referencing system.
Citations are usually placed inside the text between parentheses, while references are placed at the end of the paper in the Works Cited or References section. Both are used to give credit to other people’s work that you have used in the process of researching and writing your paper. Remember that using material from other sources without citing or referencing them will most often get you penalized.
Why Is Referencing In An Essay So Important?
Bu why is referencing in an essay so important for professors? Before you learn how to properly reference sources, you must understand the importance of the referencing system. There are several things that make referencing extremely important, such as:
- References help put your work in context
- They demonstrate that you have taken the time to conduct in-depth research
- It’s a way to give credit to people whose work you have used or relied upon to write your paper
- References and citations help you avoid getting penalized for plagiarism because they clearly indicate which ideas are your own and which are not
- In many cases, students can use good references to support their arguments and statements
- It has been demonstrated that citations and references make your writing much more persuasive
Yes, the reference and citation in essay writing are really important for professors. Without it, one could easily use the ideas of others without bothering to give them any credit. This is usually called plagiarism, so be careful. Always reference or cite everything in your content that is not your own.
Don’t Know When To Reference In An Essay?
Now that you know what references are and why they are so important, it’s time to move on to the next major issue. Did you know that over 60% of all students don’t know when to reference in an essay? This can pose major problems because your professor will most likely penalize you for using other peoples’ work without giving credit. In addition, the lack of citations and references will most likely increase the percentage of plagiarized content in the plagiarism report generated by the software used by your school or your teacher. This is not something you want.
Of course, you shouldn’t try to reference every single idea in your paper. After all, you need to demonstrate originality and an ability to come up with interesting ideas that can be supported by authoritative sources. As a rule of thumb, you should insert a citation or a reference every time you use someone else’s work or research in your essay. Even an idea you take from other publications should have a reference. However, your interpretation or analysis of the available data and information should not be referenced. It is your own work, even if it is based on data and information collected from a specific source (which should be cited or referenced).
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Learn How To Reference In Essays With Our Examples
It’s time to show you how to reference in essays in the two most common styles: APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association). Here are some citation examples that should quickly show you how to include references in an essay:
- APA in-text citations:
- One author: (Mark, 2017, p. 34)
- Two authors: (Mark & Zane, 2017, p. 34)
- Three or more authors: (Mark et al., 2017, p. 34)
- MLA in-text citations:
- One author: (Mark 34)
- Two authors: (Mark and Zane 34)
- Three or more authors: (Mark et al 34)
- Chicago in-text citations: Place the text between quotation marks and then add a superscript number that corresponds to the footnote at the end.
For example: “To be, or not to be, that is the question”1
Reference Page Citations
Now that you have an idea of how to in text cite sources, this is how they will look on your final bibliography or reference list.
- APA References List:
Keep in mind that APA does not make any differences between the type of publication (website, book, journal, etc.).
Here is how a reference should be formatted: Author First Name, Author Last Name initials (publication date). The name of the book or publication. The place it was published (provide the URL in case of a website), volume number (chapter number), page number.For example: Mark, T. (2017). A list of useful HTML tags explained. Wiley, 17(3), p. 34.
- MLA Works Cited List:
Here is how you structure a MLA reference: Full Author Name. “Publication Title.” Name of publisher, Volume, Chapter, Publication Date, Page.
Here are 2 examples:- Publication: Twain, Mark. “A list of useful HTML tags explained.” Wiley, vol. 17, no. 3, 2017, pp. 34.
- Website: Joe, Doe. “Saving Planet Earth.” The Washington Post, 10 June 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/2017/06/10/science/earth/saving-planet-earth. Accessed 27 January 2022.
- Chicago Style Footnote
The Chicago style footnote should be structured like this: Number. Author Last Name, Author First Name. “Source Name.” Publication Name. Publication Date. Accessed Date. Full Website URL.Here is an example: 1. Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.” Project Gutenberg. July, 2000. Accessed 28 January, 2022. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2265/pg2265.html.
Remember that you can get a how to reference in an essay example (or more) from our experts. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions or need help with referencing or citing works in your essay or research paper.
Tips And Advice Related To Essay Referencing
Now that you know almost everything there is to know about the academic referencing system, it’s time to give you some advice, as well as some tips that will make your references and citations foolproof:
- The most important thing you can do before you start working on your paper is to familiarize yourself with the style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). The style guide contains all the information you need about how to format the references and citations.
- Every time you use someone else’s work, make a note of it so that you don’t forget to create a reference later. In most cases, it’s great to make a short citation the moment you start discussing someone else’s idea.
- Be very thorough when you reference other sources. The reader must be able to find the source easily simply by using just the information you’ve provided in the References section. Note: make sure the URLs you list actually work.
- Beware of publication dates. Most books have been reprinted several times, so you need to make sure that your references lead to the correct pages in the correct volumes.
- Be careful about works that have been translated. You should try to find the author’s name and not use the translator’s name (a thing which can get you penalized).
- Make a clear difference between author and editor. You must include the name of the author in your reference or citation, not that of the editor.
- Take a look at some good journal articles as see how experienced writers structure their citations and references. You can learn a lot this way.
Bottom line, you should be careful how you write your citations and references. However, if you follow the structure in the style guide and our own examples, you should be just fine. Just familiarize yourself with the tips and advice we have provided above and you will be able to avoid all the most common mistakes students make when citing and referencing sources in their essays, research papers and term papers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you know how to use references in an essay, it’s time to address some of your most pressing questions. Our expert writers have done their best to answer the most common questions that students have regarding citations and references. If you don’t find the answer to your question in the list below, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us:
Q: Can I format the references in another way?
A: No, you should not attempt to format the references in any other way than what is required by the style guide. Each academic writing format has its own set of rules when it comes to references and citations, and professors know them. If you format your references differently, you will get penalized in 9 out of 10 cases.
Q: Do I have to follow your directions to the letter?
A: Unfortunately, you must. There is a very strict format that you need to follow, and our examples are there to show you exactly how you need to create the entries in the References or Works Cited chapter.
Q: What if I don’t reference one or two of my sources?
A: We can’t say for certain that you will lose points, but there is a good chance the plagiarism detection system used by your professor will flag parts of your content as plagiarized. Don’t take any chances and properly cite and reference each and every source correctly.
Q: What is the difference between a citation and a reference?
A: Many people use the two terms interchangeably. However, it is generally accepted that the citation is the part of the text where you acknowledge the source, while the reference is considered to be the full bibliographical information about the source (which is usually included at the end of your paper).
Q: Should citations and references be placed in alphabetical order?
A: In most cases, yes. You should organize your citations and references in alphabetical order so that your reader can easily find the source he is looking for at the end of your essay.
Q: What happens if I cite and reference outdated or bad resources?
A: This will almost certainly get you penalized by your professor. Sources that are no longer present at the URL you have provided cannot be verified. Also, sources that are clearly bad (such as hearsay or unreliable publications) will not be taken into consideration in most cases.
Q: Should I cite and reference every idea in my paper?
A: Of course not! Essay referencing is there to give credit to people whose work you have used to write your essay. However, your ideas are your own, even if some of them are similar to other people’s ideas. Referencing everything in your paper can lead to some lost points, which is definitely not something you want.
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