Question? Ask me!
Cite Your Sources Correctly
This short video from the University of Houston Libraries explains why we cite sources.
Academic disciplines have unique citation style requirements. This is because different information is more valuable to some disciplines than others. For business research, APA (American Psychological Association) is one of the most commonly used citation styles.
For a citation to be considered complete they usually require two parts: In-text citations in the narrative and an alphabetized list of citations (often called a bibliography or references list) at the end.
Remember: The goal of every in-text citation is to direct your readers back to the bibliography so they can verify the information on their own. They work together.
Help with APA Style
- Citing Sources - APAThis guide contains information on how to cite sources in a variety of styles (including MLA and APA).
- APA Formatting & Style GuideA thorough guide to APA style from Purdue University.
- Missing Pieces: How to Write an APA Style Reference Even Without All the InformationThe authors of the APA style manual answers questions about unique style problems, e.g., "How do I cite a mobile app?"
- Citing Sources in a PresentationThis guide imparts some tips and tricks on how to cite sources in a presentation.
JMU Libraries has created several resources to help students cite our specialized business resources. Pasting a database link into a citation generator, like ZoteroBib, doesn't always generate a correct citation that your professor can review.
Use the resources below to learn how to create citations for data you've found in business databases like IBISWorld or Mintel.
Prefer a Google Slides tutorial?
- Doing Business Research: Citing JMU business databases
Shows you how to create citations for common business databases, since citation generators often can't parse permalinks.
Prefer to download and search within a PDF?
- Complete APA citation guide for COB 300 (PDF)Includes a sample of what a bibliography and in-text citations should look like in APA 7th.
Other recommended help sites
For citation questions not covered by our tutorials, I recommend the APA Style Blog. On this site, the authors of the APA Style manual answer questions about unique citation problems, such as "How do I cite a mobile app?
- APA Style BlogThe authors of the APA style manual answers questions about unique style problems, e.g., "How do I cite a mobile app?"
There are many online citation generators, although some require you to pay for a subscription to gain access to different styles.
As a librarian, I recommend the citation generator ZoteroBib or Zbib. Its benefits include:
- Doesn't require a software download
- Doesn't require you to watch ads
- Bibliographies can be shared among group members
- It's free!
- ZoteroBibHelps build a bibliography instantly from any device, without creating an account or installing software
- Create a Quick Bibliography with ZoteroBibA quick overview about how to use ZoteroBib to create citations and share a bibliography.
Name Your Files Smartly
Carefully choosing file names that are informative and useful saves you time when researching. This can not only help you locate your files more quickly, but also help others you are sharing files with to identify what is the file is. Consider these examples:
| Files that don't employ a naming convention | Files that do employ a naming convention |
| marketing mix FINAL | 20180115_MGT555_BeverageDispenser_Smith.pdf |
| MGT-week2 | 20180115_MGT555_ConsumerExpenditures_BLS.xlsx |
| 908AF84F-8C23-33CC-8701-2B9ABA59E939 | 20180201_MKT592_RestaurantDecisionMaking_Jones.pdf |
| Content (1) | 20180215_FIN600_IndustryAveragesRestaurants_Chen.pdf |
| Meeting Notes Oct 23 | 20240820_curriculum_meeting_minutes |
The files with a naming convention provide a preview of the content, are organized in a logical way (by date yyyy-mm-dd) identify the database that provided it, and show which team member found it, unlike the files without a naming convention.
Tip #1: Choose machine readable names
Use deliberate deliminators
-
Common approach is using “_” and “-” to deliminate units of metadata in the file names.
-
Can use “-” to separate words you want to glob together and “_” to separate different information within a file name.
Don’t use spaces or punctuation
Don’t use special characters
-
Using $, @, %, #, &,*, (, ), !, etc. may have meanings in programming languages.
Tip #2: Choose human readable names
-
The more meaningful the name, the more useful it is for you.
-
The more metadata you store in the name, the easier it will be to search. Metadata could include an author's name or article title.
Tip #3: Choose names that use default ordering
When not employing version control, numbering methods facilitate file ordering and distinction.
Don’t use the word “final”
-
Number or date the versions so they can be ordered.
Put something numeric first
-
A date or version number is common.
-
Left pad version numbers with zeros (eg, 01_file.pdf).
Use YYYY-MM-DD for dates
-
The computer will order using this date format.