Citation is a practice you encounter both outside and inside the academic world. If you've ever seen the credits at the end of a movie or the name of the photographer under a photo in a news article, you've seen citation in action! Just like those forms of citation are standardized for their field (all movie credits more or less look the same and you know what the name under a photograph refers to), citation in college is standardized. There are many citation styles used in academics, but the three you are most likely to encounter at this level are MLA, APA, and Chicago (sometimes called Turabian). Each style is made up of rules you should follow when formatting your citations and papers, presentations, or other research documents. Use the information on this page to find resources that will help you create your citations correctly.
If you are not sure which citation style you should be using for an assignment, look at the assignment instructions and/or contact your instructor. This is typically assigned by them and explicitly stated in the assignment, in class, or in the syllabus.
A lack of citation in your assignments constitutes plagiarism. To learn more about what plagiarism looks like, check out the following:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by The Chicago Manual of Style was the original version of this format. Citation styles are typically written with professional researchers, editors, and writers in mind. Turabian is based on Chicago style and was developed with students in mind. Instructors will typically accept either one, but check with your instructor to be clear on which version they expect you to use.
The Chicago Manual of Style by 
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by 
Ready. Set.
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