Most instructors specify what bibliographic/writing format they require for assignments in their classes. If you don’t know this, go back and read the syllabus or instructions carefully—it's probably stated there. The most common formats you are likely to work with in college are APA and MLA. They are different—and, yes, it matters!
If writing and researching isn’t your strength, we have tools to help you! Getting stronger in this area will make you successful in nearly every college class you take—so take the time to learn since YOU will reap the rewards for many semesters to come. Here are some tools for you:
Tips:
-Make sure to mention the author, date, and name of the source in the text of your speech. You can do this in an informal way by saying something like: "Geraldine Quinzio, in her 2009 book called Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making, suggests that the precursor to ice cream was the sherbet from the Middle East."
-To keep track of your sources, copy and paste citations as you research or take pictures using your phone. Use the resources on this page for extra help.
-Save some time to proof-read and correct your work. Read your speech out loud—you might catch mistakes easier that way.
-Trade papers/projects with a friend to proofread. We often fail to see our own mistakes!
MSJC Library Online Orientation - How to choose a topic, start your research, evaluate and synthesize information, and cite your sources.
Seven Steps to Library Research - A guide for topic development, library research, and creating citations.
Advanced Research Guide - Advanced research tips for searching databases, evaluating information, and citing.
Writing & Citing - Guide for grammar, writing, and citing help.
ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. It’s brought to you by the team behind Zotero, the powerful open-source research tool recommended by thousands of universities worldwide, so you can trust it to help you seamlessly add sources and produce perfect bibliographies. If you need to reuse sources across multiple projects or build a shared research library, we recommend using Zotero instead.
This website works as a citation generator. You fill in the appropriate bibliographic information, and it pops out a citation for you to copy and paste into your works cited page.
A favorite generator for citations, this website auto-fills the blanks but allows you to modify any information. It also keeps a running list of all your citations so you can copy and paste all at once.