Citations are an essential part of any research paper and provide several functions.
Citations will allow you to:
Acknowledge the work of other writers
Avoid plagiarism
Lend credibility to your arguments
Show that your arguments are soundly rooted in previous research
Contextualize your arguments in the existing scholarly conversation
Give readers resources to look into for more information on your topic
Citations come in many styles and which one you choose will depend on your area of study. Two of the most commonly used by undergraduates are MLA and APA, which you will see below. Typically, APA is used in scientific writing.
The format of an in-text citation can vary slightly, depending on whether you are directly quoting a source, using a signal phrase to introduce a quote, or paraphrasing or summarizing someone else's research.
Direct quotation
Reactive oxygen species “are constantly produced as by-products of normal cellular metabolism or from exposure to stimuli, such as ionizing radiation and chemicals” (Sakai et al. 9).
Direct quotation with signal phrase
According to Sakai et al., “ROS are constantly produced as by-products of normal cellular metabolism or from exposure to stimuli, such as ionizing radiation and chemicals” (9).
Paraphrase/summary
Normal cellular metabolism or exposure to ionizing radiation and chemicals can result in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Sakai et al. 9).
Sakai, Chiemi, et al. “Fish Oil Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Attenuate Oxidative Stress-Induced DNA Damage in Vascular Endothelial Cells.” PLoS ONE, vol. 12, no. 11, 2017, pp. 1-13. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187934
The format of an in-text citation can vary slightly, depending on whether you are directly quoting a source, using a signal phrase to introduce a quote, or paraphrasing or summarizing someone else's research.
Direct quotation
Reactive oxygen species "are constantly produced as by-products of normal cellular metabolism or from exposure to stimuli, such as ionizing radiation and chemicals" (Sakai et al., 2017, p. 9)
Direct quotation with signal phrase
According to Sakai et al. (2017), "ROS are constantly produced as by-products of normal cellular metabolism or from exposure to stimuli, such as ionizing radiation and chemicals" (p. 9).
Paraphrase/summary
Normal cellular metabolism or exposure to ionizing radiation and chemicals can result in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (Sakai et al, 2017).
Sakai, C., Ishida, M., Ohba, H., Yamashita, H., Uchida, H., Yoshizumi, M., & Ishida, T. (2017). Fish oil omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids attenuate oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in vascular endothelial cells. PLoS ONE, 12(11): e0187934. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187934
*The example shown here is single spaced – be sure to double-space your list. All citations must be in the hanging indent format, with the first line flush to the left margin and all other lines indented.
The Citation and Style Guides can be accessed using this link on the Leatherby Libraries homepage
