Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles-MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More

摘要

The requirement to cite the work of others that you use in your own work derives from two main sources. First, there are moral and ethical reasons for indicating that you have used the ideas, images, and words of others in your own work. This approach is the one normally presented to students as they progress through the educational system. Second, there are legal issues that are frequently associated with using the work of others. For students, citing the work of others is more of an exercise in avoiding a charge of plagiarism than it is in giving credit to those whose ideas, visuals, and words they may use. From middle school through university, and even professional school, students are exhorted to produce original work. Should they use ideas, visuals, and words from others, they are taught to cite those ideas using a specific form and for- mat depending on the class that they are taking. If it is an English class, for example, they normally use the citation system developed by the Modern Language Association (MLA). If they are taking a social science class, they use the American Psychological Association (APA) system. If they are taking a biological sciences class, they use the Council of Science Editors (CSE) system. The marked differences in these three systems can lead to confusion. Lipson's book allows a student to move easily from one system to another, depending on the class requirements.