A research paper citation is a note that documents the source of quoted or paraphrased research. The particular way in which a research paper citation is documented depends upon the style sheet the writer is using. Research paper references are lists of the sources that are cited in the in text citations. These lists come after the body of the document, and are titled either references, bibliography, or works cited. All research papers must have both research paper citations and a list of research paper references.

In apa style, research paper citations are typically presented in parenthetical notes. A parenthetical note is a note contained in parentheses, and most frequently comes at the end of a sentence. In apa style, all citations must include the name of the author of the research and the year in which the study was published. If the citation is directly quoted material rather than paraphrased material, the citation should also include the page number on which the quote can be found.

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So, if an apa research paper were to directly quote brown, the in text citation would look like this: one researcher has asserted that proper citation style is difficult, but important brown, 2004, p. If the sentence mentioned brown by name in the text, the citation would look different, like this: brown 2004 asserted that proper citation style is difficult, but important p. The year of publication should always immediately follow the author's name, whether that name is contained in the sentence itself or in a parenthetical note. In mla style, research paper citations are also presented in parenthetical notes.

The primary difference is that in mla, the year of publication is never included, but the page on which the source is found is always included. As in apa style, if the author's name is mentioned in the sentence itself, there is no need to repeat the name in the citation. These types of citations will look like this: brown asserts that proper citation style is difficult, but important 4. If the author's name is not mentioned in the text of the sentence, the citation will be as follows: one researcher has asserted that proper citation style is difficult, but important brown, 4 notice that in mla style, the page number is simply listed, without the preceding p. Both mla and apa style are outlined in detail in the citation manuals published by the modern language association mla and the american psychological association apa.

These manuals provide specific guidance on all matters related to research paper citations, and should be consulted regularly when a student is composing investigation based texts. Unlike scholarly, peer reviewed information and research in university libraries, internet sources are often unvetted, unreliable, and filled with unsubstantiated claims. A credible, trustworthy web site is one that provides true, accurate, balanced, and mdash most importantly mdash verifiable information. beginning the search before you start searching, determine what type of information you need statistics, data, survey results, arguments pro and con , historical accounts, opinions, etc. By determining in advance what specific type of information you need, you will be able to perform searches that are more focused, thereby using your time more wisely. When you search using one or two general words, you will usually obtain millions of results.

For example, if you type in a broad term such as eating disorders, you will obtain thousands of results. You can narrow your search by using more specific words, such as bulimia nervosa, which will generate fewer hits. You can narrow your search even more by connecting your search words with and for example, bulimia nervosa and symptoms and treatment . The search results for the general subject will lead you to more specific subjects, and then to subtopics. For example, you could begin by searching for wars, then american wars, and then american civil war, which will provide you with list of focused, subtopic based web sites that you may evaluate for validity and reliability. the following guidelines are extremely effective for evaluating web pages: look for the author's/presenter's name and his/her credentials university department, organization, corporate title, etc. Find out if the author has written anything else on the subject and whether or not he/she is featured on other credible sites.

Determine if the author documents the information verify the validity of the sources that he/she cites. If you do not find an author or presenter, look for a copyright credit or link to an organization. The tld provides important information about the site's underlying mission and purpose. Military , or.edu educational institution tld extensions those three tlds are not available to the public and are privately assigned only to the most reputable, qualified entities. Personal web sites mdash as opposed to sites sponsored by an institution or organization mdash frequently offer biased, personal perspectives. A personal web site is often but certainly not always identified by a tilde for example, w.mindspring.com/ robinson.