One of the most frustrating tasks about college-level writing is documenting your sources using correct citation style. The two most common styles are APA (American Psychological Association), used primarily in natural science and social science disciplines, and MLA (Modern Languages Association), used mostly in the humanities. There are several other styles, too. If your instructor does not specify which style to use, choose either APA or MLA accordingly.

Although some free Websites and research databases offer to format your citations automatically with the click of a mouse, be careful. This formatting is not always done correctly. It’s to your advantage to have a working knowledge of how properly formatted citations should look, so that you can make adjustments as needed.

Without the actual APA or MLA style manuals at hand, you can turn to the many basic citation examples that exist online to help you format your own bibliography. A listing of some of the most helpful sites appears here. If you have a source for which there is not a good example or are otherwise stuck, use the "Ask a Librarian" button located at the top of this screen.