Using Information Ethically
	Citations and Style Manuals

To cite something means, basically, to tell where it is or where you found it. You need to give enough information so that you or someone else could find the exact same item again. "In the library" or "on the Web" or "in Scientific American about six months ago" isn't enough. Over the centuries, scholars have decided what specific information is needed to cite different kinds of sources. In recent years, new citation rules have been developed for email, electronic fulltext, Webpages, and other new formats.

A citation includes the information, or citation elements, needed to identify a source so that it can be found again. Different kinds of publications have different citation elements:

For a book, the citation elements you need are: author's name (there may be more than one); date of publication or copyright; title of the book; publisher's name; and place the book was published. If there is an edition statement (2nd edition, for example) or a series title, you need those, too.

For a print journal article, the citation elements you need are: author's name (there may be more than one); publication date; title of the article; title of the journal; volume number; issue number or date if there is one; and page numbers of the article.

For an electronic fulltext version of a print journal article, the citation elements you need are the same as for a print journal article, plus the access path or database name and the date you accessed, printed, or downloaded the article. Note: Page numbers of the article may not be available in the electronic format.

For a Webpage, the citation elements you need are: author's name; title or description of the page; page date; the URL; the date you accessed, printed, or downloaded the information.

Different disciplines have different standardized rules for arranging the citation elements. Style manuals are books that explain the rules for citations. The most important style manuals to know about at the beginning of your academic career are the MLA Handbook, for arts and humanities, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, for social sciences and medicine. Most disciplines have a preferred style manual. If you haven't been told which one to use, please ask your instructor.

TIPS for finding style manuals or citation guides

Print copies of many style manuals are in the HSU Library. You can find their call numbers in the HSU Library Catalog. Suggested search terms, in addition to terms for the discipline, are "style manual" or authorship or "report writing."

There are many citation guides on the Web. An especially good one for beginning researchers is Citation Style for Research Papers from Long Island University. The Citation Machine will format citation elements for you in MLA or APA style.

The Reference Resources and Quick Facts section of our library homepage has a list of online style manuals and citation guides. This link will take you to it: Humboldt State University Library Quick Reference Sources Style Manuals.