Tip: Learn more about how to write an academic essay with .
You can then add a, b, c etc next to the statistics in the table (or the columns depending on how your data is arranged, see the example linked below) and then add a matching lettered list of citations for the sources at the bottom of the table:
The function of the literature cited section is two fold. First, it gives credit to the researchers whose ideas and findings you are discussing in your introduction. Second, it allows others who are interested in your study to find relevant articles for further, in depth investigation of this topic. You may have used the 'literature cited' yourselves, to track down additional primary sources on your topic once you located one useful reference on your topic.
At the end of your essay, you must have a section entitled 'Literature cited'. This section should include an alphabetical list of all of the literature cited in the body of your essay. Include full citations for all your sources, including primary articles, popular articles, books, textbooks, personal communications or web references. Do not include any sources that you read but did not refer to in the body of your essay.
Here are a few examples to help you cite your sources in MLA format:
The other option is to arrange it with the brief citations in the table. See Table 1 in the following example. The full references would go into your reference list at the end of the work in the same way as Method 1.
* In this case, only Hurst need be cited in your literature cited section at the end of your essay. In such a case, it is best to actually find and read Hickey and Rose's paper. However, when this is difficult or impossible, you may cite the paper in which you read about their work, as shown above.
I wanted to make a casserole, but I soon realized that I did not have milk. However, I may be able to use sour cream instead of milk (Cheffsworth, 2021).
I wanted to make a casserole, but I soon realized that I did not have milk. However, as Gregory Cheffsworth (2021) suggests, “sour cream can be used as a milk substitute whenever one is low on ingredients and willingness to go to the store” (p. 47).
APA In-Text Citations and Sample Essay 7th Edition
The parenthetical citation should be added at the end of the sentence that contains the source material. Let’s go back to the Fogbottom example and see how a parenthetical citation would work:
When writing an essay, how do you know when to cite a source or not?
If you encounter a source with no author, do look for other indicators that it is a good (or poor) source—who published it, does it have an appropriate list of references, is it current information, is it unbiased?
Persuasive Essays: How to cite sources
If you are paraphrasing or summarizing information from a source, APA only requires you to cite the author’s last name and year of publication in your in-text citation.
How to Use Sources and References in Essay
If you’re quoting or paraphrasing someone who was cited by the author of one of your sources, then that’s handled a bit differently. For example, what if you quote Smith, but you found that quote in the article by Fogbottom. In this case, you should introduce the speaker (Smith) as described above, and then cite the source for the quote, like this:
How To Cite a Research Paper in 2024: Citation Styles Guide
Learning how to write an academic essay with references and how to use in-text citations will allow you to cite authors who have made similar arguments. This helps show that your argument is objective and not entirely based on personal biases.
How to Reference in an Essay (3 Simple Tips)
Referencing is important for more than simply avoiding plagiarism. Referring to a trustworthy source shows that the information is reliable. Referring to reliable information can also support your major points and back up your argument.
How to Cite Sources in an Essay
We suggest that you use the guidelines below in citing literature in your essay. However, you may use any format you wish as long as your citation style is accurate and consistent. We would prefer that you avoid footnotes, although you will not be penalized for them.