Citing Sources - NR320 - Natural Resources History and Policy - Research Guides at Colorado State University Fort Collins

APA Citation Style

There are many different ways to cite sources. For this class, you will have to use American Psychological Association (APA) Style.

Online APA Citation Guides

CSU Writing Center - APA Style
Guidance on APA citations from the CSU Writing Center.
Purdue Online Writing Lab - APA Style
Reliable guide to APA citations from Purdue University.

Official APA Style Manual

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Ed.
Available in print at CSU's Morgan Library. Good for in-depth citation questions.

Using Sources in Your Work

Purdue OWL: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
Brief explanation and guidance on the different ways to incorporate sources into your work. From Purdue University's Online Writing Lab.
Writer's Handbook: Quoting and Paraphrasing
In-depth discussion and examples of "how to properly integrate information from published sources into your own writing" from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center.

Tools for Organizing and Citing Sources

The following tools can help you to cite information sources. Check the citations generated by these tools for accuracy before you use them.

Online Citation Generators

Choose a citation style, a type of information source, and plug in the bibliographic information (title, author, etc.) that is requested. A complete citation is created from the information that you enter.

KnightCite
Works with MLA, APA, and Chicago citation styles. From the Hekman Library at Calvin College.
Citation Builder
Works with MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles. From the North Carolina State University Libraries.

Database Citation Tools

Many databases have tools that will generate citations for materials found in the database. Usually there is an option to either cut and paste the formatted citation or export the information to citation management software.

The tools will be slightly different in each database and will appear in different places. You may need to explore a little bit to find them. Icons from the Gale Virtual Reference Library and Academic Search Premier are shown below.

Citation Managers

Citation management software allows users to organize and store information about sources that are found during literature research. References can then be easily inserted into written works and formatted in many different citation styles. This type of software is especially useful for large research projects. A few popular options are listed below with links for more information.

EndNote / EndNote Basic
Use the free web version or purchase the software. CSU Libraries offers classes and support.
Zotero
A free, browser-based tool.
Mendeley
Also free, aimed toward the sciences, and has social media components.
Compare the Tools
A comprehensive comparison of various citation management tools from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

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