How citing works

Your information sources must be cited in two places:

In the body of your essay. The most common way to do this is a parenthetical reference like this example in APA format: (Smith, 2004, p. 45). Some styles use footnotes or endnotes instead of parenthetical references.
In a list at the end of the essay. The same source cited in the parenthetical reference (or footnote or endnote) must also be placed in a reference list at the end of the paper. The reference list can also be called Works Cited or Bibliography.

Parenthetical references

A parenthetical reference, also called an in-text citation, is a citation placed in parentheses in the text of your paper. In APA style, a parenthetical reference typically includes the following information: author, year of publication, and page number(s).

Here is an example of a parenthetical reference formatted in APA Style:

In Media Mania the author argues that "parents, teachers and peers are a more powerful influence on children than television" (MacKay, 2002, p. 36).

*Note that the complete citation material (author, publication year, and page number) is found in the parentheses.

Remember to consult your required style guide since each guide may present the parenthetical information in a slightly different format.

Endnotes

Endnotes are citations listed at the end of your paper. They are listed separately from a reference list, a bibliography, or works cited. In essence, an endnote functions in the same manner as a parenthetical reference even though it is formatted differently. Both indicate to the reader where the information was taken from.

Since APA does not use endnotes, here is an example of the same source as above cited using an endnote in Chicago Style:

⁸Hugh Mackay, Media mania: Why our fear of modern media is misplaced (Sydney: UNSW Press, 2002), 71.

*Note that the ⁸ indicates that this is the 8^th endnote in the paper. Notice that the first name and then the last name of the author is given.

Footnotes

A footnote is almost the same as an endnote. Both serve the same function and may have the same format. The primary difference between the two is their location. While endnotes are compiled and displayed near the end of a paper, footnotes appear at the bottom of the same page of text as the quote, paraphrase, or summary to which they refer. Currently, footnotes are used less frequently than parenthetical references and endnotes.

Helpful tip

Remember your required style guide may present the parenthetical information in a slightly different format. Consult the Library’s citation & style guides for more examples in APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian styles, or the style according to your discipline.