You did a marvelous job choosing to write a thesis! I heard you were collecting data for your research topic. Have you finalized your findings? Are you starting to analyze your data and now converting it into a thesis? Are you stuck with citations and need some help? This blog will help you in citing all the details of the authors you have come across while writing your manuscript. Believe that this masterpiece will stand out.
Citations are crucial in writing. Citations are the way you tell your readers that certain material in your work came from another source. This helps in avoiding plagiarism and supporting your argument. As a writer, you need to cite the source material used in your writing according to a set of standard norms and conventions. These are known as citation styles. These rules define the way of citing these sources used in your academic writing.
Here a long queue of questions pops up in our minds. What are citation styles? How do we use them? How do we decide the type of style required for a specific place and which one will best fit my writing? All these questions are answered here. Take a deep breath and read thoroughly.
Types Of In-Text Citation
An in-text citation is a short acknowledgement a writer includes whenever a quote or any information connected to the topic is used and sourced in academic writing. This helps the reader to easily locate the source from where the information is drawn. New to this? Cheap assignment help can guide you in selecting the in-text citation style according to your domain.
There are three types of in-text citations. Let’s look into the details of each one.
Parenthetical Citation
A parenthetical citation is the most common form of in-text citation used in academic writing across all domains. This citation is placed right after the sentence or statement where you have used the source. It provides basic information to the reader about the author’s name, the publication date, and/or the page numbers. This information is encapsulated within brackets. When the reader wants more detail, they can refer to the list of references at the end of the text.
Numerical Citation
A numerical citation is similar to a parenthetical citation, but instead of including the author’s name and publication date, you place a number after the content where you’ve used an external reference. Each source is allocated a number according to the order in which it appears in the text. The numbers are placed either in brackets or as superscripts. The citation details are then listed in numerical order in the bibliography or reference section.
Note-Bibliographical Citations
Note-bibliographical citations are commonly used in the Chicago (note-bibliography) style. This system uses short footnotes at the bottom of the page. These notes contain details about the authors, and if the reader wishes to read more about the writer, they can refer to the detailed bibliography at the end of the work.
Common Citation Styles And Their Types
Each citation style differs according to the field. The styles below provide extensive guidelines on how to cite various kinds of resources and their application in different writing contexts.
American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition)
The publication manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) is the official source sold worldwide in multiple languages. This manual is chosen by writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in social sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. It uses the author’s last name and the year of publication in parentheses for in-text citations.
Modern Language Association (MLA 9th Edition)
Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used mostly in disciplines of humanities like literature, arts, language studies, and philosophy. Its format emphasizes the authors of a source and the pages on which information is located in the source.
Chicago Manual
The Chicago style, also known as Turabian, is used in a wide range of disciplines such as arts, humanities, social sciences, and other subjects. This manual style is divided into two systems: the Author-Date system (Parenthetical Style) and the Note-Bibliography system (Footnotes Style).
Chicago Author-Date (Parenthetical Style)
The parenthetical in-text citation in the author-date system includes the author’s last name and publication year. These citations can be easily referred to in detail at the end of the document.
Chicago Note-Bibliography (Footnotes Style)
This type uses footnotes or endnotes to refer to sources within the text. These notes provide detailed bibliographies and are mostly numbered in sequence throughout the document.
Harvard Style
This style is primarily used in education. The Harvard Referencing Style is used for both in-text citations and the reference list at the end of the document. The general rule is to use the author’s name and year of publication in parentheses. Complete details, including page numbers, are added in the reference list at the end of the manuscript.
Institute Of Electrical And Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
As the name suggests, this style is specifically used by engineering students. IEEE employs numerical citations in square brackets for in-text references, with the corresponding number in the reference list.
Council Of Science Editors (CSE)
A citation style for science faculties, used in natural sciences such as physics, environmental sciences, and other related fields. CSE uses a number either in superscript or parentheses to refer to the source in the text. The complete details of the source are provided in the reference list at the end of the document.
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American Anthropological Association (AAA)
The AAA citation style is used most commonly in anthropology and related fields. This style is based on an author-date system.
American Political Science Association (APSA)
The APSA citation style is used in political science research. It is based on an author-date system for in-text citations.
American Chemical Society (ACS)
The ACS citation style is used in the field of chemistry. It uses a numeric system for in-text citations.
American Sociological Association (ASA)
This citation style is used in sociology research along with APA citation. Unlike APA, it is also based on an author-date system.
Oxford Style
Also known as the Oxford Referencing System, this citation style is used in the humanities, including literature and history. It is based on adding a footnote or endnote for in-text citation, with the details of the reference provided at the bottom of each page or at the end of the document.
A Spotless Manuscript
Compiling and editing your manuscripts can be straightforward, allowing you to choose the best citation style for your text. Readers can easily refer to your sources using the correct citation style. With the help of this blog, you’re able to select the correct citation style for the material you’re submitting. Like any other part of your manuscript, it’s important to ensure your reference list is correct and follows the appropriate citation style.
