Everything You Need To Know About The Vital Ways To Cite A Source In An Assignment

 Are you asking yourself, “How I wish someone could tell me how to cite sources assignments accurately and flawlessly?” Do not worry, as you are not the only one who is contemplating this question. 

Ask any student around the world about citing their resources in an assignment flawlessly following the elaborate guidelines of any referencing style correctly, and they would inform you how tedious the process can be. Improper referencing is a common way for students to lose their precious grades in an assignment, so it’s worth taking the time and effort to learn how to cite correctly. 

If you are one of those million students who is baffled by citations, then you are in luck. For we, in this comprehensive blog, would walk you through a detailed step-by-step guide that would help you nail your citations like a pro and help you out hugely in the long run. 

§ Identify What Citation Style You Need To Use

There are countless citation styles used in various research fields. Thus, it is always wise to ask your instructor or supervisor which style you need to use for your project. The most common styles used in assignments are the MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago styles. To have a comprehensive idea, you can also access the guide for each style online, or check it at your local library.

§ Cite Immediately After You Paraphrase Or Quote Source Material

For most referencing styles that exist out there, your in-text citation should come at the end of the sentence where the paraphrased or quoted material is used. Parenthetical citations specifically come before the sentence’s closing punctuation, while the footnote superscript numbers always come after.

 § Use Author-Date Parenthetical References in APA Style

If you are asked to write your assignments in APA style, then it becomes crucial to use author-date parenthetical citations in the APA style. Be sure to put the author’s last name in parentheses at the end of the sentence where the paraphrase appears. Put a comma after the name of the author and then type the year the source was published.

Like- “Anna (1956) showed that leaving the ground in sod enhances the organic matter of the soil by 25 per cent in 9 years.”

 § Incorporate The Author’s Name And Page Number for MLA In-Text Citations

If you go through some remarkable ‘how to cite sources in an assignment?” tutorials available on YouTube, you would find that the MLA referencing style uses parenthetical citations in the body of your paper. Often, you are required to provide the author’s name and the page number where the material appears, with no intervening punctuation. 

Like, if you were drafting a parenthetical citation for a source called “Take cooking seriously”, and there is no author name, then you should use (“cooking seriously” 67).

 § Draft the Publication Year for The APA Reference Entries

For most type of citation styles, the title of the sources is considered to be the next part of the reference entry. However, when you are citing your references in the APA style, you need to place the year your resource was published in parentheses after the author’s name. It is also crucial to put a period after the closing parentheses mark. 

 § Incorporate The Publication Information For Your Resources

While you are drafting your referencing list, make sure to include the publisher’s name, the place of publication, and the year of the resource being published (except that of APA style). The format for this information also varies among the style of citation. Often, in most referencing styles, it is also essential to publish the year of the sources after the publisher’s name. Make sure you follow the accurate guidelines while drafting the reference list of your assignment.

We do hope that we were able to provide answers to all your queries like “how to cite sources in an assignment flawlessly?” Save this comprehensive blog as a bookmark on your laptop. Comprehend the aforementioned steps and draw an idea from the examples to draft flawless citation lists of your own. Happy Writing, Mates!