Documentation Formats
Documentation Formats
In order to acknowledge others' specific ideas, document them both within the text of your paper and at the end of the paper, using the documentation format appropriate to your field of study.
Different fields have different styles or formats of documentation. Two of the most used documentation formats are:
- Modern Language Association (MLA) -- for Literature, Language and the Humanities
- American Psychological Association (APA) -- for Psychology and the Social Sciences
In this on-line service we explain how to use both MLA and APA formats. However, there are other documentation formats and you should check with your course tutor to find out which one he or she prefers.
Documentation Formats
(from: Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. Fifth Edition. Boston:Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.)
Biology
Council of Biology Editors. Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 6th ed. New York: Cambridge UP, 1994.
Chemistry
Dodd, Janet S., ed. The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors. 2nd ed. Washington: Amer. Chemical Soc., 1997.
Engineering
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE Standards Style Manual. 7th ed. New York: IEEE, 2000.
English and the Humanities
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: MLA, 1999.
Geology
Bates, Robert L., Rex Buchanan, and Marla Adkins-Heljeson, eds. Geowriting: A Guide to Writing, Editing, and Printing in Earth Science. 5th ed. Alexandria: Amer. Geological Inst., 1995.
Government Documents
Garner, Diane L. The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Writers and Librarians. Rev. ed. Bethesda: Congressional Information Service, 1993.
United States Government Printing Office. Style Manual. Washington: GPO, 2000.
History
The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1993.
Journalism
Goldstein, Norm, ed. Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. 35th ed. New York: Associated Press, 2000.
Law
Harvard Law Review et al. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. 17th ed. Cambridge: Harvard Law Rev. Assn., 2000.
Linguistics
Linguistic Society of America. "LSA Style Sheet." Published annually in the December issue of the LSA Bulletin.
Mathematics
American Mathematical Society. The AMS Author Handbook: General Instructions for Preparing Manuscripts. Rev. ed. Providence: AMS, 1996.
Medicine
Iverson, Cheryl, et al. American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams, 1998.
Music
Holoman, D. Kern, ed. Writing about Music: A Style Sheet from the Editors of 19th-Century Music. Berkeley: U of California P, 1988.
Physics
American Institute of Physics. Style Manual: Instructions to Authors and Volume Editors for the Preparation of AIP Book Manuscripts. 5th ed. New York: AIP, 1995.
Political Science
American Political Science Association. Style Manual for Political Science. Rev. ed. Washington: APSA, 1993.
Psychology and other Social Sciences
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington: APA, 2001.
Science and Technical Writing
American National Standards Institute. American National Standard for the Preparation of Scientific Papers for Written or Oral Presentation. New York: Amer. Natl. Standards Inst., 1979.
Rubens, Philip, ed. Science and Technical Writing: A Manual of Style. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Social Work
National Association of Social Workers. Writing for NASW Press: Information for Authors. Rev. ed. Washington: Natl. Assn. of Social Workers Press, 1995.
Documenting Sources Within the Paper --MLA
The Modern Language Association (MLA) format requires you to put basic information about your source in parentheses within the text (no footnotes) of the paper. Remember, the reader needs to be able to separate your ideas and information from the source's ideas and information. Therefore, you must identify the beginning and end of any material that is not your own.
If you use a direct quotation, the reader can identify where it begins and ends by the quotation marks. Immediately following the end quotation mark, and before the period at the end of the sentence, include parentheses with the author's last name and exact page number of the quote. For example, if you quoted from page 10 of a work by Mary Smith, your citation would read like this:
". . .the final decision must be made by the constituents" (Smith 10).
If you used two books by Mary Smith and want to quote from one entitled Education After 30, you must add an abbreviated title of the work in the parentheses after the author's name to let the reader know which of her books you used. In this case, separate name and title with a comma:
". . .the final decision must be made by the constituents" (Smith, Education 10).
Most of the time, you will not use direct quotations, but will summarize and paraphrase ideas from the source. Let your reader know the beginnning of the summary or paraphrase by identifying the author. For example, start the summary by saying " Smith states," or "According to Jones." Since you already identified the author at the beginning of the summary or paraphrase, you only need to include the page number in the parentheses at the end of the summary or paraphrase:
According to Philip Jones, Head of the State Education Board, summer school should be mandated for any student who fails to maintain a C average (16).
If you are using a source that has no author, such as a newspaper article, you must use a shortened form of the title in the parentheses if you do not mention it in your text:
According to a New York Times editorial, there is something deeply troubling about the way we are avoiding the plight of Bosnians ("See no Evil" B16).
Here is the format for other kinds of sources you will encounter most often.
- A book with two or three authors: you can either name the authors in your introductory phrase, as above, or write both authors names in the parenthese followed by the page number(s).
- A book with an editor: use the same documentation as for one author.
- An article by one author: use the same documentation as for one author.
Consult any recent handbook for samples of all types of entry formats in MLA style. A handbook that we recommend is:
Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference (2003, Fifth Edition)
It is available from the ESC Distribution Center (518-587-2100). It includes both the MLA and APA formats.
MLA Guidelines for Electronic Sources
Exercise 11: Documentation within the Paper - MLA
Documenting Sources within the Paper - APA
The American Psychological Association (APA) format requires you to put basic information about your source in parentheses within the text (no footnotes) of the paper. Remember, the reader needs to be able to separate your ideas and information from the source's ideas and information. Therefore, you must identify the beginning and end of any material that is not your own. If you use a direct quotation, the reader can identify where it begins and ends by your use of quotation marks. Immediately following the end quotation mark, and before the period at the end of the sentence, include parentheses with the author's last name, the publication year, and the exact page number. This information should be separated by commas. For example, if you quoted from page 10 of a 1994 book by Mary Smith, the citation would look like this:
". . . the final decision must be made by the consituents" (Smith, 1994, 10).
Most of the time, you will not use direct quotations, but will summarize and paraphrases ideas from the source. Let your reader know the beginning of the summary or paraphrase by identifying the author. For example, start the summary by saying " Smith states," or "According to Jones." Since you already identified the author at the beginning of the summary or paraphrase, you only need to include the publication date right after the author's name in the text:
According to Philip Jones (1995) summer school should be mandated for any student who fails to maintain a C average.
If you are using a source that has no author, such as a newspaper article, you must use a shortened form of the title in the parentheses, along with the date and the page number:
According to a New York Times editorial, there is something deeply troubling about the way we are avoiding the plight of Bosnians. ("See No Evil" 1995, p. B16).
Here is the format for some of the other kinds of sources you will most often need to document.
- A book with two authors: put the names of both authors either in the text of your paper or in the parentheses, with the date and the page number, at the end of the material from that source. In the parentheses use "&" between the authors' names.
- A book with an editor: use the same documentation as for one author.
- An article by one author: use the same documentation as for one author.
To learn the correct format for kinds of sources (such as a corporate author, a work in an anthology, a multivolume work, etc.) consult any recent handbook for samples of all types of entry formats in APA style. A handbook that we recommend is:
- Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference (2003, Fifth Edition)
It is available from the ESC Distribution Center (518-587-2100). It includes both the MLA and APA formats.
Exercise 12: Documentation within the Paper - APA
Documenting Sources within the Paper - Turabian
In A Manual for Writers by Kate Turabian, two forms of documentation within the paper are presented: reference notes, also known as footnotes, and parenthetical references, which resemble the modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation.
Footnotes have the advantage of allowing the reader to see complete reference notes for each page of text without flipping to the end of the paper to search through a list of endnotes or through an MLA-style Works Cited list. Partly for this reason, the reference note style is still the approach preferred by many faculty members, despite the fact that MLA style is used far more widely in the humanities.
The Turabian reference note format requires you to put basic information about your source in footnotes at the bottom of each page, beneath the text. Within the text, above the list of footnotes, the place where a reference is introduced is shown by an Arabic numeral raised slightly above the line of text. These reference numbers are placed just after the quoted or paraphrased material, and they appear in numerical order throughout the text. Footnotes for all of the references which appear in a page of text must be placed at the bottom of the same page, divided from the text by an eight spaced line. [For exceptions to this rule see pp. 118-119 of A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Sixth Ed., by Kate Turabian.]
If your first reference is for a quotation, it will look like this:
"......the final decision must be made by the constituents."¹
However, if your first reference is for a paraphrase, it will look like this:
According to Smith, only constituents can pass a final decision.¹
A quotation is identified by quotation marks placed where it begins and where it ends, followed by the raised number. The beginning of a paraphrase or summary may be identified by mentioning the author. For example, the above paraphrase can be introduced by saying "According to Smith," or "Smith states." Although such introductions may be useful for clarification, in Turabian style it is not absolutely necessary to mention the author, since your reader can immediately find the source of your paraphrase or summary in the reference note at the bottom of your page of text. The raised number should immediately follow the paraphrase or summary.
For either the quoted or paraphrased examples above, the single-spaced note which is placed at the bottom of the page of text will look like this:
¹John Smith, Democratic Procedure (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.), 14.
Indent all footnote entries five spaces, then type the number which corresponds to the number in the text for that reference. For a book with one author, as shown above, proceed to type the author's first, middle (if given), and last names in usual order, and follow them with a comma. Then type the title and underline it. Open parentheses, type the place of publication, follow it with a colon and two spaces, and type the publisher. Close parentheses, followed by a comma, then type the page number where the reference was found, and end with a period. For further information, see "Other Reference Note Formats."
When the next reference refers to the exact same source and the same page number as a preceding note, and there are no other references in-between the two, use "Ibid." Instead of repeating the note. For example, if your second note still refers to page fourteen of Smith's Democratic Procedure, write:
[See Turabian PP.138-139 for further information on the use of "Ibid."]
Exercises A thru D: Documentation Within the Paper - Turabian
Documentation at the End of the Research Paper - MLA
Documentation at the End of the Research Paper - APA
How to Document Sources at the End of the Paper - Turabian
Other Reference Note Formats
Here are the reference note formats for the other types of sources which you will most often encounter:
- A book with two or three authors: Give the authors' full names in the order of first name, middle initial, and last name, and use "and" to separate the names of two authors. In a list of three authors, follow the first name with a comma, and follow the second name with a comma plus "and." Place a comma after "and," then write the title of the book and underline it. Next, open parentheses and write the place of publication followed by a colon, the publisher, and the date of publication. Separate publisher and date with a comma. Close parentheses and follow them with a comma. Finally, write the number of the page where the reference was found. End with a period.
- A book with an editor: When editors' names are given instead of authors' names, follow the name or names of the editor(s), given in normal order, with the abbreviation "ed." (for one editor) or "eds." (for multiple editors). Then place the title, publication data, and page number as indicated above.
- An article with one author: Present the author's name in the same order as for a book with one author: first name, middle initial, last name. Use quotation marks around the title of the article and place a comma just before the end quotation marks. Follow this with the journal title, underlined, then the volume number. Then open parentheses and place the month or season (if given) of publication along with the year of publication, and close parentheses. Place a colon after the closed parentheses, and follow it with the number of the page where the reference was found.
- For samples of every type of footnote format in the Turabian style, consult Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Sixth Edition. This handbook contains both the reference note and author-date or parenthetical reference systems and includes guidelines for electronic sources. It is available from the ESC Distribution Center (518-587-2100).
Documentation at the End of the Paper - Turabian
General Information:
The bibliography at the end of a research paper lists, in complete detail, all of the sources used in researching and writing the paper. Strictly speaking, in the Turabian style a list of sources entitled "Bibliography" may include material which has not been quoted, paraphrased, or summarized in the paper along with sources for which reference notes are available. In other words, a bibliography may attempt to be comprehensive. For most college papers, it is appropriate to include only the sources which have actually been quoted, paraphrased, or summarized in the paper. For further information, see "Heading" and "Classification" of bibliographies in Turabian, pp.167-168.
Why list your sources? Providing a bibliography completes the documentation process by giving full credit to the authors who have originated the ideas and information provided in your research paper. This is important both for ethical and (if the paper is published) for legal reasons. Beyond this, offering complete bibliographical information allows your reader to consult your sources for more information or for the purpose of evaluating the quality of your research by assessing the reliability of your sources.
A Sample "Selected Bibliography" Page - Turabian
The Turabian format calls the list of sources the "Bibliography," or "Selected Bibliography," or "Works Cited," or "Sources Consulted" page. A sample "Selected Bibliography" page has the following characteristics:
- sources are listed alphabetically, by author's last name
- sources without authors are listed alphabetically by either the editor's last name or by the complete title of the work
- the first line of each bibliographical entry starts flush at the left hand margin
- second and subsequent lines are indented five spaces
- titles should be capitalized correctly in each entry
- all entries are single-spaced
Note: The below examples have been typed on one line. Depending upon your screen resolution, you may see them on one line or on two. If you see these examples on two lines, then please note that the second and subsequent lines of each entry are supposed to be indented 5 spaces. For a more complete listing of citation examples from A Writer's Reference (2003, Fifth Edition) by Diana Hacker, please bookmark her Research and Documentation site: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
Selected Bibliography
Bougereau, Esme F. Realism in Literature (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1979)[database on-line]; available from gopher.cic.net.
Gardner, Helen, ed. John Donne: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962.
Lewes, George Henry. "Realism in Art: Recent German Fiction." Westminster Review 70 (1858): 493.
Novak, Barbara. American Painting of the Nineteenth Century. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1969.
Weisberg, Gabriel S., and William S. Talbot. Chardin and the Still-Life Tradition in France. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1979.
Sample Bibliographical Entry Formats
Here are five of the most commonly used types of entries:
Note: The below examples have been typed on one line. Depending upon your screen resolution, you may see them on one line or on two. If you see these examples on two lines, then please note that the second and subsequent lines of each entry are supposed to be indented 5 spaces. For a more complete listing of citation examples from A Writer's Reference (2003, Fifth Edition) by Diana Hacker, please bookmark her Research and Documentation site: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
1. a book with one author
- author's last name, first name [separated by a comma and followed by a period]
- title of book [underlined and followed by a period]
- place of publication [followed by a colon and two spaces]
- publisher's name [followed by a comma]
- year of publication [followed by a period]
Uehling, Karen S. Starting Out or Starting Over: a Guide for Writers. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
2. a book with more than one author
- author's last name, first name [separated by a comma and followed by a comma and the word "and"]
- second author's first name and last name [followed by a period]
- title of book [underlined and followed by a period]
- place of publication [followed by a colon and two spaces]
- publisher's name [followed by a comma]
- year of publication [followed by a period]
Weisberg, Gabriel S., and William S. Talbot. Chardin and the Still-Life Tradition in France. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1979.
3. a book with an editor
- editor's last name, first name [separated by a comma and the abbreviation "ed."]
- title of book [underlined and followed by a period]
- place of publication [followed by a colon and two spaces]
- publisher's name [followed by a comma]
- year of publication [followed by a period]
Gardner, Helen, ed. John Donne: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962.
4. an article from a professional journal
- author's last name, first name [separated by a comma and followed by a period]
- title of article [in quotations, with a period inside the end quote mark]
- title of the journal [underlined]
- volume of the journal [followed by a comma and the abbreviation "no." And the issue number, if given
- year of publication [in parentheses and followed by a colon and two spaces]
- span of pages [followed by a period]
Wolff, Maria Tai. "Listening and Living: Reading and Experience in Their Eyes." Black American Literature Forum 16, no. 1 (1982): 29-33.
5. online material from the internet
- author's last name, first name [separated by a comma and followed by a period]
- title of electronic document [underlined]
- place of publication [followed by a colon and two spaces]
- publisher [followed by a comma]
- year of publication [followed by a period]
- the words "Database on-line" followed by a period
- the words "Available from" and the electronic address [end with a period].
There are may other entry formats for the various types of sources:
- a work in an anthology
- an article in a journal paginated by issue
- an article in a newspaper
- a video recording
- a musical composition
- a lecture
- published reports and proceedings
- interviews
- microform editions
- unpubliched materials
- works of art
More formats, too numerous to include here, also exist. For a comprehensive listing of entry formats in the Turabian method of style, consult:
- Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
It is available from the ESC Distribution Center (518-587-2100).
Exercises E thru I: Documentation at the End of the Paper - Turabian
