How do you properly reference when writing an essay, what is a reference and what is a citation?
Referencing where it’s required is very important. However, when you are asked to do your referencing in your essay, it can be challenging at first.
When writing a research essay, there are several reference styles that you may use, such as MLA (Modern Language Association) APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago.
MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) are the two refereeing styles we will be looking at in this guide.
So, let’s show you how to reference your essay in case you have forgotten how to do it.
What Is a Reference?
References are valid and reliable sources of information included at the end of academic writing or an article.
Including references at the end of your essay allows the reader to see the source in the texts. For every citation in your essay, there should be a corresponding reference at the end of your writing.
The aim is to allow the reader to look up the citation and if they want to head directly to the end of the page to get more information.
For example, below is how to reference the Schlebusch and Jackobsson source in a list at the end of an essay using the MLA (Modern Language Association) or the APA (American Psychological Association)
MLA (Modern Language Association)- Schlebusch, Carina and Mattias Jakobsson. “Tales of Human Migration, Admixture and Selection in Africa.” Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics, vol. 11, no 33, 2018, pp. 1-36.
APA (American Psychological Association)- Schlebusch, C. & Jakobsson, M. (2018). Tales of Human Migration, Admixture, and Selection in Africa. Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics, 11(33), 1-36.
Also Read: 10 Circular Reasoning Fallacy Examples
What Is a Citation?
While references are included at the end of the article, a citation is a short mention of the source where the information is taken from and it’s usually at the middle or end of a sentence.
Citations are usually abbreviated in paragraphs of an essay. You can use MLA or APA format to include a citation in your essay.
MLA (Modern Language Association)- Central and western Africa generally have poor conditions for bone preservation, and few ancient human remains have been found in these areas (Schlebusch & Jakobsson 1).
APA (American Psychological Association)- Central and Western Africa generally have poor conditions for bone preservation, and few ancient human remains have been found in these areas (Schlebusch & Jakobsson, 2018).
How to Reference In an Essay
Here are five ways to properly reference an essay. Referencing is important in academic writing where it’s required. Even when writing an article, it’s important to reference to sources where information was obtained.
Only Cite Experts
When writing an essay, you need to cite good sources and try to avoid the bad ones. There are good and bad sources but you should only cite sources written and edited by experts.
Obtaining good sources makes your essay valid and it tells the reader you have a good skill at finding information that is authoritative. Doing this shows you value quality sources of information instead of taking any random information online.
Getting your information from credible sources makes your research essay authentic. You got your information from an expert who has the required experience for a specific topic rather than getting them from your local newspaper.
Also Read: 10 Asynchronous Learning Examples Strengths and Weaknesses
Cite Newer Sources
Citing newer sources in your essay is considered better. Most teachers will recommend that you should cite sources from the last decade, which is better according to a general rule.
Some will also accept sources from the past fifteen years. So, citing sources from the past 10 to 14 years can be accepted.
But sometimes you may have reliable sources from the past 30 to 40 years. You should only cite sources this old if they are seminal texts.
So, what is a seminal text?
Seminal texts are writings that are written by experts or those you would call a giant or masters in your specific field.
There are several seminal authors you can cite their old articles in your essay regardless of how old they are. A few names of seminal authors include Marx, Weber, Charles Wright Mills (Sociology), Piaget, Vygotsky (Education), Freud, Rogers, and Jung (Psychology).
Although you may cite seminal authors in your essay, let more of your sources be writings from the past 10 years.
The Sum Total of your Sources Should be at Least a Per 150 Words
When writing your essay, you can cite a source over and over again throughout the essay.
Although you may cite the same sources in the second and fourth paragraphs, you need to avoid making the entire essay to be based on a range of sources.
What you want to do is allow the marker of the essay to see that you searched through multiple sources to get your information.
At the end of your essay, make a quick review to see the number of sources listed in the end text reference list. Ensure you list one source in the reference list for every 150 words.
For example;
- If you are writing an essay of 1,500 words, include 10 or more sources in the reference list.
- If it’s a 2000-word essay, include at least 13 or more sources in the reference list.
- For a 3,000-word essay, include 20 or more sources in the reference list.
- If it’s a 5,000-word essay, include 33 or more sources in the reference list.
Also Read: Difference Between Expository and Argumentative Essay
Print Out Your Reference Style Cheat Sheet
It’s important you know where to place your commas and italics, and if it’s proper to use an initial for the author’s full name.
Most times you rely on automated referencing apps and websites. They promise you they can generate the citation for you but they really can’t.
Let me show you the best method to get referencing right.
Go online and download a referencing cheat sheet and ensure you keep it by your side while writing your essay.
With your assignment outline, you should know the type of referencing to use in your essay.
We listed MLA Style, APA, Style, and Chicago Style earlier in the article. However, there are other styles like Harvard Style, Vancouver Style, etc.
Find out which style will be suitable for you to use, then download your cheat sheet. You can use Google to find a suitable cheat sheet by typing what you want in the Google bar.
Use Google Scholar
Google Scholar over the years has been and still provides quality and reliable sources for students. It’s a different search engine that provides better sources based on what you are looking for.
You can easily access and get sources from Google Scholar. All you have to do is visit Google Scholar and then, type in the keyword you want to search for.
Through the best quality search engine in the world, you can find scholarly sources to include in your essay.
Conclusion
When writing a research essay, there are several reference styles that you may use, such as MLA (Modern Language Association) APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago.
Whether you are writing a research essay or an article, you must choose a specific style of referencing. Besides MLA Style and APA Style, there are other styles Harvard Style, Vancouver Style, etc.
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References
- WikiHow: How to Reference Essays
- HelpfulProfessor: How To Reference In An Essay (9 Strategies Of Top Students)
- Examples.com: How to Write References on Essays
- Carina M. Schlebusch and Mattias Jakobsson : Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics Tales of Human Migration, Admixture, and Selection in Africa
- M Sharples, 2022: Automated essay writing: An AIED opinion
