In the challenging academic environment we live in, writing is not only an important way to express ideas, but also a key link to demonstrate one’s talent and academic qualities. However, how to cite references accurately and correctly is often a problem for students. In order to help you solve this problem, we have launched a detailed and practical guide to reference formatting, which we hope will provide strong support for your academic career!
First of all, let’s learn about several common reference formats. Among them, APA (American Psychological Association) format is the most commonly used academic writing and citation norms, which is widely used in essays, reports, and research in the social sciences; MLA (Modern Language Association) format is mainly applied to humanities fields, such as history; The Harvard format is widely used in the natural and social sciences, while the Chicago format is mainly used in the humanities and natural sciences, especially in literature, history, and the arts.
Next, we will explain in detail the specific use of each format.
1. APA format
When using APA format, the following rules should be followed:
a) When citing in-text, include the author’s last name and year of publication.
b) When citing the works of multiple authors, simply list the last name of the first author, followed by ‘et al.’.
c) When citing multiple works by the same author, simply repeat the author’s surname in each citation and add a comma after the year.
d) When citing an unpublished work, include the date and source.
2. MLA format
The following rules should be followed when using MLA format:
a) When citing in-text, include the author’s last name and page number.
b) When citing multiple authors, list the last name of each author, separated by commas.
c) When citing multiple works by the same author, simply repeat that author’s last name at each citation and add a comma after the page number.
d) When citing an unpublished work, include the date and source.
3. Harvard format
The following rules should be followed when using Harvard format:
a) When citing in-text, include the author’s last name and year of publication.
b) When citing multiple authors, list the last name of each author, separated by commas.
c) When citing multiple works by the same author, simply repeat that author’s last name at each citation and add a comma after the year.
d) When citing an unpublished work, include the date and source.
4. Chicago format
The following rules should be followed when using Chicago format:
a) Citation is made using the footnote format, which is usually used in humanities subjects such as literature, history and art disciplines.
b) The other way is to use the author and year citation format, which is commonly used in scientific disciplines such as history, natural and social sciences.
c) Add note digits sequentially at the top right of the text where they are required. Note numbers should be kept in a continuous sequence throughout the text and are generally placed at the end of sentences, outside of punctuation marks.
d) Notes can be in the form of endnotes or footnotes. Footnotes are located at the bottom of the cited page, four lines from the last line of the text. Notes are single-spaced, but double-spaced between entries. Endnotes are to be placed on a separate page after the text. Notes should be arranged in the order in which they appear in the text. Please try again later if you have problems with some of the notes throughout the paragraph.
