By completing this tutorial, students will be able to:
- identify parts of a citation in order to locate a source of information, whether in print or online format.
- create citations for commonly used information sources.
- use correct Turabian format in order to write bibliographies or works cited pages.
A citation provides basic information about a book, journal article, web page or other information source.
A citation identifies an information source that was used in an assignment or article for its ideas or facts. It allows readers to identify what was used and to locate them.
A list of citations create a bibliography, also known as a works cited page. This is used to cite sources of information and to give credit to authors for the use of their ideas. For additional instruction, visit the Online Tutorial Creating a Bibliography.
Citations are organized by specific styles or conventions. Turabian format is a commonly used style and is demonstrated in this tutorial.
Citations Show an Information SourceLibrary catalogs and online databases usually display search results as lists of citations.
In this example, a citation for an article was found in the Omnifile Full-Text Mega database. It contains information such as an an author and title. Using this and additional information will help with finding it in a library or though an online database.
Citations Are Used in Footnotes and Bibliographies
Students are required to cite their sources of information in college-level research assignments. UWF instructors who require their students to use Turabian style often want citations organized in a notes-bibliography style where citations are listed as footnotes and in a bibliography.
Footnotes. A footnote cites the page of where an idea or point was found within an information source along with information such as the title, author, and publication.
Within a paper, an idea borrowed from an information source is identified by placing a superimposed number next to it. It is then cited at the bottom of the page with the same number. Footnotes are numbered starting from 1 and are arranged by the order they are used. This example shows how a footnote was used in one paper:
Bibliographies. A bibliography is a list of citations used in a paper. It is located at the end of a paper as a separate page. While footnotes list sources in the order they were used, a bibliography lists them in alphabetical order starting by an author's last name. This bibliography and its citations use correct Turabian format:
These examples show citation formats for common information sources, and include the format for a footnote and in a bibliography. Take note of the elements included and the use of punctuation.
To find citation guidelines for additional sources of information, refer to A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (7th Ed.), by Kate L. Turabian.
Book Citation
A book citation usually includes:
- Author: fully spell the author's name; initials for a first and middle name can be used when only they are available
- Title: the name of the book; a book's title is normally italicized
- Location of publisher
- Publisher
- Year of publication
- Page Number: a footnote citation includes the page number of where an idea or fact can be found
A newspaper articles generally does not need to be cited in the footnotes or bibliography if it is referred to one time. It can usually be cited in running text, or within the content of a paper. This paper discusses a point from an article titled "2 Problems on Kennedy" and shows the use of running text:
However, if the article's content is repeatedly discussed and contains important points for your paper, it will need to be cited.
Newspapers are organized and published differently than books. A newspaper article citation looks similar to book's with additional information:
- Author
- Title of Article: in quotation marks
- Title of Newspaper: a newspaper's title is normally italicized
- Date of publication: Turabian format places month before day, followed by year
- Section of newspaper: the part of the newspaper where the article was published
- Page number: this is normally shown as the first page of an article
A journal citation generally includes the following information:
- Author
- Title of Article: usually in quotation marks
- Title of journal: usually in italics
- Volume: a series of a particular journal that is in numeric order
- Number within a volume: sometimes called "Issue"; a number or issue is preceded by "No." if an article has one
- Date
- Page number
Many journal articles can be found in online databases. These are are citations for a journal article found in OmniFile Full-Text Mega. They include the usual information, along with additional information stating where and when it was found:
These citations include:
- Database: the name of the database where the article was found
- Date of Access: the full date of when the article was accessed
- Stable URL for the Article: the web address of where the article was found (check your assignment requirements; some instructors require a complete URL)
Many information sources can be found directly on the Internet. The Turabian format treats a web site citation in the same manner as a newspaper article: it can be cited in running text.
If an instructor requires all information sources to be cited, a web page citation includes its web address (URL) and the date accessed. This example shows citation formats for a web document:
Creating a web site citation can be very tricky. Many web sites do not provide information about their content such as author, the date published, or organization responsible for content. When this occurs, think critically about using one as an information source.
Related Resources & Acknowledgements
Here are some related resources to use if you'd like to learn more about this particular topic.
- Turabian Quick Guide: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html
- Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago style for students and researchers 7th Ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
Now it’s time to test what you’ve learned. Click here to test your knowledge. Be sure to print out your score or e-mail it to yourself or your instructor as proof that you have completed this tutorial.
Kristy Padron
kpadron@uwf.edu
August 17, 2007