Citing Your Sources

When you write your research paper, you must cite the sources which you have used or consulted in defending your thesis or in constructing your paper. Sources should be cited consistently, following a scholarly citation style manual. The three most commonly used style manuals at QVCC are the current editions of The Publication of the American Psychological Association; MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers; and A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian).

Our library has hard copies of all three style manuals. We also have handouts to help with documenting sources, based on the manuals. Click the links below to go to the PDF version of the library handouts.

1. Citing Your Sources - APA Format
2. Citing Your Sources - Chicago/Turabien Format
3. Citing Your Sources - MLA Format

Which style manual you should adopt for documenting your research paper largely depends on the academic discipline for which you are writing the paper and your instructor's preference. However, it is generally understood that the MLA style of documentation is used in the humanities and the APA style of documentation is used in the sciences and social sciences. Chicago/Turabian style is generally used in history. Your instructor may specify which style you should use in a particular class. Whichever style you use, follow the citation guidelines and examples carefully. The most important rule is to be consistent with your documentation for the research paper you are working on.

When in doubt about how to cite a particular source, or which format to use, please ask your instructor or a librarian. We're here to help.