Citations and research

How to cite sources in MLA, APA and Chicago style, with a worked example for every rule, plus the research skills that come before the citation: finding good sources, outlining and avoiding plagiarism.

• Annotated bibliography: examples and how to write one

  An annotated bibliography is a list of sources in which each citation is followed by a short paragraph, the annotation. The annotation sums up...

• MLA Works Cited page: format and examples

  An MLA Works Cited page lists every source you quote, paraphrase or mention in your paper. In MLA 9 it starts on a new page titled Works Cited,...

• MLA heading: how to format it, with example

  An MLA heading is four lines at the top left of your first page: your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date (7 November 2026)....

• MLA in-text citations: rules and examples

  An MLA in-text citation gives the author's last name and the page number in parentheses, with no comma between them: (Rivera 45). It points the...

• How to cite a book in MLA (with examples)

  To cite a book in MLA 9, give the author's name (last name first), the book's title in italics, the publisher and the year of publication. In...

• Primary and secondary sources: definitions and examples

  A primary source is firsthand evidence from the time or person you are studying, such as a diary, a photograph, survey data or the novel you are...

• Bibliography vs. works cited vs. references

  A Works Cited page (MLA) and a References page (APA) list only the sources you actually cite in your paper. A Bibliography, used in Chicago...

• Research paper outline: template and example

  A research paper outline is a plan that lists your thesis, the main point of each section, and the evidence and sources for each point, in the...