Citing a research article properly is an important part of academic writing. It allows you to give credit to the original authors of the ideas you are using in your work, and it helps your readers to locate and verify the sources you have used. There are several different citation styles, but all of them follow a similar basic format. Here is a general guide to citing a research article in three common citation styles: APA, MLA, and Chicago.
APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in the social sciences, education, and nursing. To cite a research article in APA style, you will need the following information:
- Author(s) of the article: list the last name and initial(s) of each author, separated by a comma. If there are more than six authors, list the first six and then use "et al."
- Year of publication: place the year in parentheses after the author(s)
- Title of the article: use sentence case and put it in quotation marks
- Title of the journal: use title case and italicize the title
- Volume and issue number: list the volume and issue number in parentheses, separated by a comma
- Page numbers: list the page numbers of the article, separated by a hyphen
Here is an example of a research article citation in APA style:
Smith, J., Jones, M., & Brown, T. (2020). "The effects of exercise on mental health." Journal of Physical Health, 45(2), 123-138.
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is commonly used in the humanities, including literature, language, and cultural studies. To cite a research article in MLA style, you will need the following information:
- Author(s) of the article: list the last name and first name of each author, separated by a comma
- Year of publication: place the year in parentheses after the author(s)
- Title of the article: use sentence case and put it in quotation marks
- Title of the journal: use title case and italicize the title
- Volume and issue number: list the volume and issue number in parentheses, separated by a comma
- Page numbers: list the page numbers of the article, separated by a hyphen
Here is an example of a research article citation in MLA style:
Smith, John and Mary Jones. "The effects of exercise on mental health." Journal of Physical Health 45.2 (2020): 123-138.
Chicago style is commonly used in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. To cite a research article in Chicago style, you will need the following information:
- Author(s) of the article: list the last name and first name of each author, separated by a comma
- Year of publication: place the year in parentheses after the author(s)
- Title of the article: use sentence case and put it in quotation marks
- Title of the journal: use title case and italicize the title
- Volume and issue number: list the volume and issue number in parentheses, separated by a comma
- Page numbers: list the page numbers of the article, separated by a hyphen
Here is an example of a research article citation in Chicago style:
Smith, John and Mary Jones. "The effects of exercise on mental health." Journal of Physical Health 45, no. 2 (2020): 123-138.
It is important to note that these are just general guidelines, and you should always consult the specific guidelines for the citation style you are using. In addition, be sure to check your citation style manual for any additional rules or guidelines that