Cite a reference

How you cite a reference depends on the citation style you’re using. The most common citation styles include APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago, and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) citation styles, among others. Here’s how to cite a reference using APA style, one of the most widely used citation styles in the social and behavioral sciences:

Absolutely, proper citation of sources in a scientific or technical document is crucial for several reasons:

1. Credibility and transparency: Citing your sources demonstrates that you have conducted thorough research and that your work is based on solid evidence. This strengthens the credibility of your text.

2. Avoid plagiarism: Failure to properly cite sources constitutes plagiarism, which is a serious violation of academic ethics. Plagiarism can have damaging consequences for your reputation and career.

3. Replicability: By citing your sources, you allow other researchers to verify your information and arguments, which is essential for the replicability of research.

4. Contribute to academic dialogue: Your citations demonstrate how your work fits into the broader context of existing research. This helps readers understand how your work contributes to academic dialogue.

5. Respect Copyright: Proper citations show that you respect the copyright of the original authors by giving them credit for their ideas and work.

Here’s how to correctly cite sources in a scientific or technical document:

Bibliographic citations in the body of the text:

  • When using information, ideas, or quotes from a source, cite that source in the text immediately after using the quote or information.
  • Use the author’s name, year of publication, and, if applicable, the page (for direct quotations) in parentheses. For example: (Smith, 2019, p. 25).

List of bibliographic references:

  • At the end of your document, include a complete list of all sources you have cited in the text. This list should be organized alphabetically (by author’s last name or title if the author is unknown) and follow a proper citation format (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
  • Each source in the reference list should include information such as the author’s name, document title, publication title (for journal articles), year of publication, publisher (for books), and URL (for online resources), if applicable.

How you cite a reference depends on the citation style you’re using. The most common citation styles include APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago, and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) citation styles, among others. Here’s how to cite a reference using APA style, one of the most widely used citation styles in the social and behavioral sciences:

APA Style (7th Edition) – Citing a Source in the Text:

Direct quote with author:

    • Place the author’s name followed by the year of publication in parentheses, for example: (Smith, 2020).
    • If the author is mentioned in the text, you can place the year in parentheses after the name, for example: “According to Smith (2020),…”

Indirect citation with author:

      • If you are discussing an idea or information from a source without citing it verbatim, use the author’s name followed by the year of publication in parentheses at the end of the sentence, for example: “This theory has been discussed previously (Smith, 2020).”

Direct or indirect quote without author:

      • If the source does not have a specific author, use the first element of the title followed by the year in parentheses, for example: (“Title of article,” 2020).
Full bibliographic reference in the list of references:

To cite a full bibliographic reference in the reference list, follow this format:

    • Book : Author(s) name. (Year of publication). Book title in italics. Publisher.

    • Journal article : Author(s) name(s). (Year of publication). Article title. Journal title in italics, volume(issue), pages.

    • Website : Author(s) name or organization name. (Year of publication or update). Page or site title in italics. URL.

Be sure to consult the specific guidelines for the citation style you are using, as formats may vary slightly. MLA, Chicago, and IEEE styles, for example, have their own citation rules.

Reference management tools 

There are several tools and software programs designed to help you manage and format your reference lists. These tools make it easy to create reference lists that conform to different citation styles, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and more. Here are some of the most popular tools for managing your references:

    • Mendeley is a free application that allows you to collect, organize, and annotate research papers. It also offers citation and bibliography creation features.
    • Mendeley is a compound of two inseparable elements:
      • Mendeley Research Network: a socio-bibliography website –
      • Mendeley Desktop: an individual workstation application allowing the management and writing of bibliographies Mendeley seeks to create a dynamic of collaborative and social work in the world of research and scientific publication by emphasizing the sharing of knowledge through the bibliographic references that each researcher collects during their work.
    • For installation on your computer: https://www.mendeley.com/
    • Useful links