Grand Challenges Program: General Research: Citing References

The American Psychological Association (APA) style guide is commonly used in business writing. The tools listed below provide examples on how to cite common sources like newspaper articles, journal articles, and books.

Cite twice! Once in the text of your writing and another in a list of references at the end of your work.

In text citation example:

Llamas affinity for peppermint lollipops as opposed to cinnamon is well documented (Perkins & Fowler, 1985).

Alternatively:

According to Perkins and Fowler (1985), llamas prefer peppermint lollipops over cinnamon at a rate of 5 to 1.  

Reference list example:

Perkins, Ml & Fowler, J. (1985). Sweet Teeth: Llamas Confectionery Preferences and Implications for Veterinary Dental Practices. Camelidae Quarterly, 43(2), 19-27.  http://www.wildkingdom.com/newseries 

Sources for Additional Examples:

Referencing Sources in APA Style: A Basic Introduction
A video produced by Memorial University.

Purdue University OWL: APA Formatting Guide
An APA Citation Guide that reflects the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. It offers examples for the general format of research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page. Includes examples of citations for everything from news articles to tweets and personal interviews.

APA Style Blog
The American Psychological Association's in-depth guide to using the APA citation style.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide is sometimes also used in business writing. The link below provides in-depth guidance in citing a wide variety of sources.

Purdue University OWL: MLA Formatting and Style Guide
MLA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the Modern Language Association for documenting sources used in a research paper.

ZoteroBib is a free service that helps you build a bibliography or create citations instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.

Citation software can make mistakes! Be sure to check your citations using the style guides to the right.

Book
Levitt Steven D. and Stephen J. Dubner. Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything. New York : William Morrow, 2005.