CITATION HELP
This page explains why, as well as how, to cite your information sources. We also identify citation styles most commonly used by students at Bristol Community College. You will find "Quick Guides" for each of the styles, which can be printed out. Scroll down the page to find online writing guides and citing templates, plus tools such as citation generators and reference management programs. The Citation Tutorials Tab has links to tutorial videos. For additional information or assistance, ask a librarian or visit your local BCC campus Writing Center.
Citing your information sources is necessary in order to:
In English 101, you will be using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide.
MLA serves scholars in the humanities (especially literature). Since many humanities scholars work with texts from all time periods, currency is not always essential. When citing, emphasis is placed on authorship; while both MLA and APA require the author’s name within the physical text (i.e. in-text citation), MLA does not require a date. For the full citation on the “Works Cited” page, MLA features the date towards the end of the citation.
Citation generators are web-based tools that assist you in formatting citations for your academic research projects. Some provide auto-fill content; however, you often must add information manually, and it is your responsibility to ensure correct spelling! What goes in, comes out - just as you type it. Some generators are free for MLA, but not for other styles. The following link offers a quality citation generator that guides you through the process of creating correct citations in MLA and APA:
Use these quick reference guides to get started: