When you conduct research, it is important to "cite" your sources. This means you provide important information about the author, publisher and date of a source so that readers can see where you are getting information for your argument or explanation.
The two most common ways to cite sources are MLA Style and APA Style.
MLA stands for Modern Language Association. MLA Style is commonly used in the Humanities: subjects like English, History, Language, Philosophy, the Arts, and Cultural Studies . In these subjects, many old ideas still hold up--so the date isn't as prominent.Â
APA stands for American Psychological Assocation. APA Style is commonly used in the Sciences, such as Psychology, Sociology, Biology, Business, and Communications. In these subjects, having the newest information is more important--so the date is prioritized in the format.
Which one should you use? Ask your teacher! All good citation tools will allow you to easily format your source information for a different style.
You can explore a few options below. Remember! Even though these tools will automatically format things to make it easy, it's important to check that the information they are using is correct. Proofread the results and edit to make them accurate.