Basic components of a citation
Whatever citation style you use, there are basic elements that you need
to have in order to cite a source. Be sure to make a note of all these
elements either before you return your books to the library or when you
are photocopying your articles. You do not want to find, the day before
a paper is due, that you do not have all the information you need to write
your list of references.
For BOOKS, you will need
-
the author(s)
-
the title
-
the facts of publication: place of publication (city), name of publisher,
and date of publication
The date of publication often
appears at the bottom of the title page. If it isn't there, go to the copyright
page and look for either a date of publication or the latest copyright
date, NOT the latest date of printing. (A book may have gone through several
printings since publication, but the content of the book remains the same.)
-
the page numbers from which specific quotes or ideas originated
Other components that should be recorded if present include editor, compiler,
translator, edition, and series title.
For PERIODICAL ARTICLES, you will need
-
the author(s) of the article
-
the title of the article
-
the name of the periodical
-
the volume number
-
the issue number, month, season, and date (record as many of these as are
present)
For many citation styles, including
MLA and APA, the issue number is only included in a citation for an academic
journal article IF THE JOURNAL IS PAGINATED BY ISSUE (i.e., if each issue
in a particular volume starts at page one).
-
the year
-
the page numbers (first page of the article - last page of article)
-
the page numbers from which specific quotes or ideas originated
If in doubt, record the information.
It may save a lot of time later.