Citing Your Sources
Proper citation is an essential aspect of scholarship. Citing properly allows your reader or audience to locate the materials you have used. Most importantly, citations give credit to the authors of quoted or consulted information. Failure to acknowledge sources of information properly may constitute plagiarism. For an explicit definition of plagiarism, see the Boston University Academic Conduct Code.
For detailed instructions on how to cite within the text of your paper, please consult a style manual listed below. Please also note: some of the resources below do not cover every possibility you might encounter when trying to cite your sources. For this reason, it is suggested that you consult a style manual to create your bibliography.
BU Librarians often recommend 
RefWorks as the best tool to manage citations. Accounts are free for the BU community, and most importantly RefWorks can automatically create a bibliography in hundreds of styles. There are other such tools.
Finally, please also see our separate citation guides for Business students or for Science students.
APA (American Psychological Association) Style
Publication Manual of the American Psychological AssociationLocation: Mugar Reference BF76.7 P83
Sci/Eng Reference BF76.7 P83
Education Reference BF76.7 P83
Pardee Reference BF76.7 P83The official style manual for the APA. The website at http://www.apastyle.org/ offers some interactive tutorials and help with citing electronic sources. The 6th edition is the most recent, published in 2010.
The World's Easiest Guide to Using the APA by Location: Pardee Reference BF76.7 P833 A46
Chicago Style
The Chicago Manual of Style by Location: Mugar Reference Z253 U69
Education Reference Z253 U69
Pardee Reference Z253 U69
Stone Reference Z253 U69Originally written in 1906, this tome has a rich history of providing quality guidelines for citing works and creating bibliographies. The library has a subscription to the full online version. The website also offers a citation quick guide that has many examples. The 17th edition is the most recent, published in 2017.
Turabian
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Location: Mugar Reference LB2369 T8
Sci/Eng Reference LB2369 T8
Education Reference LB2369 T8
Pardee Reference LB2369 T8
Music Reference LB2369 T8The famous work by Kate Turabian, the latest edition (the 6th, published in 1996) was altered to conform with the guidelines set in The Chicago Manual of Style.
Harvard Style
There is no official guide to Harvard Style. If you Google “Harvard Style Guide” you will find many websites that list examples. One of the best guides is from Monash University. Look to the bottom of the page to get examples.
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Location: Mugar Reference LB2369 G53
Education Reference LB2369 G53
Pardee Reference LB2369 G53Note: access to the companion material at http://www.mlahandbook.org/ is available to individuals who have purchased the Handbook, but not to institutions.
MLA style is widely used by universities, academic presses, and in the humanities subject areas. The association makes some information available through the style section on its site at http://www.mla.org/style. Be sure to look through the list of Frequently Asked Questions on their site to get the most pertinent example citations. The 7th edition is the most recent, published in 2009.
NLM (National Library of Medicine Style)
Citing Medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers
The official style manual for the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and suggested when citing documents from the associated databases MedLine and PubMed. The online edition supercedes the print edition as the most up to date.
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