2. Plagiarism and Copyright
Citations and Bibliographies: Formatting

You may remember from schoolwork you've done in the past that bibliographies have to follow a certain format. In fact, there are several formats that are used by different researchers for different purposes. The goal of all of them is to help a reader easily track down copies of the sources an author used.

Two of the most popular formats used for bibliographies are MLA and APA, although many others are used .

MLA STYLE

The MLA style comes from the Modern Language Association, an international body of researchers, teachers, and other professionals working in the field of modern languages and literatures. The MLA format for a bibliography has entries that look like this:

Works Cited

Bell, Shannon. "Tattooed: A Participant Observer's Exploration of Meaning."  Journal of
     American Culture 22.2 (1999): 53.

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams.  The Craft of Research.  2nd
     ed. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Glotzer, Richard. "[Review of the Book More Wives than One: Transformation of the Mormon
     Marriage System. 1840-1910]."  Journal of Comparative Family Studies 34.4 (2003):
     611.  History Resource Center.  Giovale Library, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT.  July 30,      2004.

Medow, Norman B., and Abraham Schlossman.  "Germ Theory Heralded Era of Antibiotic
     Discoveries."  Ophthalmology Times  24. 16 (1999): 6.  Health Source: Consumer
     Edition.  Giovale Library, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT.  July 30, 2004.

MLA is often used by people working in literature and the humanities. In fields like these, an author's reputation is very important; the date of publication is less so; you can see that in MLA style, the author's full name is used, and the date of publication is moved towards the end of each entry:

Bell, Shannon. "Tattooed: A Participant Observer's Exploration of Meaning." Journal of
    American Culture 22.2 (1999) : 53.

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams.  The Craft of Research . 2nd
    ed. Chicago : University of     Chicago Press, 2003 .

APA STYLE

The APA style comes from the American Psychological Association, and the APA format for a bibliography looks like this:

References

Bell, S. (1999). Tattooed: A participant observer's exploration of meaning.  Journal of
    American Culture, 22 (2), 53.

Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2003).  The craft of research (2nd ed.).
    Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

Glotzer, R. (2003).  [Review of the book more wives than one: Transformation of the mormon
    marriage system. 1840-1910].  Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34 (4), 611.
    Retrieved July 30, 2004, from the History Resource Center database.

Medow, N. B., & Schlossman, A. (1999).  Germ theory heralded era of antibiotic discoveries.
    Ophthalmology Times, 24 (16), 6.  Retrieved July 30, 2004, from the Health Source:
    Consumer Edition database.

APA style is often used by scientists, social scientists, and some people in the medical professions. In fields like these, it's very important when research was published; you can see that, in the APA style, the date of publication is very near the front of each entry:

Bell, S. (1999) . Tattooed: A participant observer's exploration of meaning.
    Journal of American Culture, 22 (2), 53.

Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2003). The craft of research (2nd ed.).
    Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

OTHER STYLES

Other styles for formatting bibliographies are also in use, including ones created by the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, and the Harvard Law Review Association. The Library keeps current editions of the manuals for these and other styles, as well as a list of helpful websites you can visit to learn how to properly format your research projects according to the style your instructor prefers.

There are interactive websites you can use to create formatted citations. Generally, you type in--or copy and paste--the information about your source (title, author, date, etc.), and the website then creates a formatted citation for you in MLA or APA style which you can then copy and paste into your paper. Try it out with Landmark's Citation Machine or the Utah Academic Library Consortium's Citation Tool.

Later in this unit, you will also learn something about RefWorks, an online tool provided for you by Westminster College that works directly with our databases and with MSWord to create a properly formatted bibliography in your paper for you.

Whatever tools you decide to use, remember that it is your responsibility to make sure your bibliography is properly formatted and free from errors. As you move forward in your major, be sure and find out what style is most widely used in your profession, and try to become familiar with it.

As you move forward in your major, be sure and find out what style is most widely used in your profession, and try to become familiar with it.

You'll find that, with a little practice, you'll be able to regularly use your profession's style easily.