Referencing a research paper is an important part of the academic writing process. It allows you to give credit to the original sources of information that you have used in your own work, and it helps to establish your credibility as a researcher by demonstrating that you have thoroughly reviewed the literature on your topic. In this essay, I will explain how to properly reference a research paper in different citation styles, including the American Psychological Association (APA) style, the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS).
To begin with, it is important to understand the difference between citing and referencing. Citing refers to the act of mentioning a source within the body of your paper, while referencing refers to the list of sources that you have cited at the end of your paper. In other words, citing tells your readers which sources you have used in your paper, while referencing provides more detailed information about these sources.
There are many different citation styles that are used in academic writing, and each one has its own specific rules and guidelines. However, most styles follow a similar basic structure, which includes the following elements:
Author(s) or editor(s): This is the name(s) of the person(s) who wrote or edited the research paper.
Year of publication: This is the year in which the research paper was published.
Title of the paper: This is the title of the research paper, which should be written in italics or underlined.
Title of the journal or book: If the research paper was published in a journal or book, you should include the title of the journal or book in which it was published.
Volume and issue number: If the research paper was published in a journal, you should include the volume and issue number in which it was published.
Page numbers: You should include the page numbers of the research paper, if applicable.
URL or doi: If you accessed the research paper online, you should include the URL or the doi (digital object identifier).
To illustrate how to reference a research paper in different citation styles, let's use the following example:
Author: John Smith Year of publication: 2020 Title of the paper: "The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health" Title of the journal: Journal of Communication Volume and issue number: 10, 2 Page numbers: 123-147 URL: https://www.journalofcommunication.com/article/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health
In APA style, this reference would be written as follows:
Smith, J. (2020). The effects of social media on mental health. Journal of Communication, 10(2), 123-147. https://www.journalofcommunication.com/article/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health
In MLA style, it would be written as follows:
Smith, John. "The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health." Journal of Communication, vol. 10, no. 2, 2020, pp. 123-147. https://www.journalofcommunication.com/article/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health.
And in CMS style, it would be written as follows:
Smith, John. "The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health." Journal of Communication 10, no. 2 (2020): 123-147. https://www.journalofcommunication.com/article/the-effects-of-social-media-on-mental-health.
As you can see, each citation
