A citation...
Why do we cite?
How do we cite?
Failing to cite a source correctly is plagiarism. Plagiarism is an academic offense and could get you in serious trouble! But don't panic: as long as you follow the citation guidelines, you will be fine. And remember: when in doubt, cite. It is always better to include a citation that you don't need than to forget a citation that you do need.
Check out our Citing Sources Guide if you need more help!
Author's Last Name, First Initial., year, Title of article: Journal Title, v. , p. 0000-0000, doi:10...
(Note the first line of the text is left-aligned, with the rest of the text block indented.)
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Title of article. Journal abbrv. volume, 0000-0000 (year).
(Note the text is all left-aligned and all the references are numbered.)
Citation management tools are incredibly helpful. They can help you:
JMU provides additional storage space and help with questions about Zotero. Zotero is a free, open-source citation manager that you can use in a web browser or in a downloaded desktop app. It has browser connector plug-ins to make saving sources as you're researching easy. And it has plug-ins for writing with Microsoft Word and Google docs. Check out the following links for more on Zotero:
Annotated bibliographies—Purdue owl®—Purdue university. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2024, from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html
Chenevey, L. (2023). Teaching the politics of citation: Challenging students’ perceptions. College & Research Libraries News, 84(5), 152. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.84.5.152
Based on work from Alyssa Young.