Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House. MacMurray, 1999.
Noble, Safiya U. Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York University Press, 2018.
MLA Style
MLA Style
The MLA or Modern Language Association style of citation is broadly used in the language arts and humanities. The style is currently in its 9th edition.
Purdue OWL MLA Style and Format Guide
Image courtesy of The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University.
This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page. Make an appointment with an Oxford librarian for further assistance!
MLA Handbook by
The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook is a textbook and reference guide that offers student writers and writing instructors guidance on creating works-cited-list entries in MLA style using the template of core elements.
ISBN: 9781603293532Publication Date: 2021-04-01
Icons are from the Noun Project and under Creative Commons licence (CCBY): books by sandra, article by Arfan Khan Kamol, website by Julynn B, link by Nathan Diesel, Video by Aybige, Audio by Manasa, Image by Mohammad Iqbal, hashtag by Gregor Cresnar.
Books
MLA Style is designed to be flexible and adaptable to many kinds of sources - the citation format centers on the idea of "objects" and the "containers" they live in. Since books are self-contained, they don't usually have a "container" element - this makes them one of the easiest things to cite in MLA
Basic Book Citation:Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Book. Name of Publisher, Publication Date.
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Some example citations are below, from the Purdue OWL MLA Guide. Follow the link for more examples!
How To Cite...
Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Pratchett, Terry, and Neil Gaiman. Good Omens. Workman, 1990.
List only the first author followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for "and others") in place of the subsequent authors' names.
Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Utah State UP, 2004.
Harris, Muriel. "Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers." A Tutor's Guide: Helping Writers One to One, edited by Ben Rafoth, Heinemann, 2000, pp. 24-34.
Smale, Maura A. "Always a Novice: Feminist Learning and Leadership Practice." Feminists Among Us: Resistance and Advocacy in Library Leadership, edited by Shirley Lew and Baharak Yousefi, Library Juice Press, 2017, pp. 7-27.
Articles
MLA Style is designed to be flexible and adaptable to many kinds of sources - the citation format centers on the idea of "objects" and the "containers" they live in. The container of an article is usually the journal, magazine, etc it was published in.
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Basic Newspaper Article Citation Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Work in Quotation Marks." Newspaper Title, Publication Day Month Year, page number. Basic Scholarly Journal Article Citation Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Work in Quotation Marks." Journal Title, vol. Volume #, no. issue #, Publication date, pp. Page numbers. Database Name. DOI or Permalink. |
Note that date of access is optional in MLA 9th. It is only necessary if the work lacks a publication date or you think the work has been altered or removed. Your professor may want you to provide a date of access, if so see the examples below for how this should be formatted.
Some example citations are below, from the Purdue OWL MLA Guide. Follow the link for more examples!
How To Cite...
McAninch, David. "Seeing France’s Wild Mountains Through a Clouded, Classic Windshield." New York Times, 15 July 2019. nyti.ms/2GgMdkK. Accessed 16 Jul 2019.
Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post, 24 May 2007, p. LZ01.
In Print
Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." Arizona Quarterly, vol. 50, no. 3, 1994, pp. 127-53.
From an Online Database
Budd, John M. “Public Libraries, Political Speech, and the Possibility of a Commons.” Public Library Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 2, Apr. 2019, pp. 147–159. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/01616846.2018.1556232.
Krasikov, Sana. "What Children Remember From the War." Review of Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II, by Svetlana Alexievich. New York Times, 13 July 2019, nyti.ms/2JyKt8y. Accessed 15 July 2019.
Weiller, K. H. Review of Sport, Rhetoric, and Gender: Historical Perspectives and Media Representations, edited by Linda K. Fuller. Choice, Apr. 2007, p. 1377.
Website
MLA Style is designed to be flexible and adaptable to many kinds of sources - the citation format centers on the idea of "objects" and the "containers" they live in. A website itself is a container, so think of pages on a website like chapters of a book.
Citing a web-based resource? MLA style recommends that you include your date of access if there is not a publication date or when the content may change over time.
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Basic Website Citation Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Page in Quotation Marks." Website Name. Date of resource creation (if available), URL/DOI/permalink. Accessed date of access (if applicable). |
Some example citations are below, from the Purdue OWL MLA Guide. Follow the link for more examples!
How To Cite...
The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue U, 2008, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl. Accessed 23 Apr. 2008.
Manila, Ashley. “Coconut Cream Pie Smoothie Recipe.” eHow, ehow.com/how_12343061_coconut-cream-pie-smoothie.html. Accessed 15 July 2019.
"Libraries = Strong Communities: Celebrating National Library Week." Oxford Library Blog, Oxford College Library, 9 Apr. 2019, scholarblogs.emory.edu/oxford/events/libraries-strong-communities-celebrating-national-library-week/. Accessed 15 July 2019.
Images and Video
*Figures cited in-text must be both captioned and cited in the bibliography.
In-text citation:
(see fig. X)
(see fig. 3)
Caption:
*Include the bibliographic information, while replacing periods with commas. For ENG 185 assignments only: Add licensing, public domain or fair use information in parentheses at the end of the caption (e.g. CC BY 2.0, "Public Domain," "Fair Use").
Fig. X. Artist; Title; Creation Year; Institution, URL. (Licensing information/public domain information/fair use notation)
Fig. 3. Cézanne, Paul; Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses; 1890; The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882. (Public Domain)
Fig. 5. Holley, Lauren; Atlanta Streetcar; 2014; Flickr, flickr.com/photos/atlantadowntown/16106577510/.
(CC BY 2.0)
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. Title of the work. Year. Website publisher, URL.
Cézanne, Paul. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses. 1890. The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
Image has no known title?
If the work has no title provide a concise but informative description of the work.
Mackintosh, Charles Rennie. Chair of stained oak. 1897-1900, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Image has no known author?
Omit the author's name, and start with the title:
Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses. 1890. The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
No creation date?
Include an access date instead:
Cézanne, Paul. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses. The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882. Accessed 5 Nov. 2019.
Are you citing an image reproduced in a website article?
Read this post from the MLA Style Center for formatting guidelines.
Have you modified the image?
Fig. 3. Adapted from Artist; Title; Creation Year; Institution, URL.
Fig. 3. Adapted from Paul Cézanne; Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses; 1890; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
Read this post from the MLA Style Center for more information.
Are you using a video screenshot?
Fig. X. Still from Creator, Title of Video (minute:seconds).
Fig. 4. Still from Toledo Museum of Art, What is Visual Literacy? (4:31).
Read this post from the MLA Style Center for more information.
MLA Video Citation Examples
YouTube & Streaming Video:
Title. Platform, uploaded by Screen name, Day Month (abbreviated). Year, URL.
"What is Information Literacy?."YouTube, uploaded by Modern Librarian Memoirs, 2 Nov. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe6xBibOL4.
Digital Resources
Citing personal photos, digital files, or other electronic resources can be confusing. The important thing to remember is that everything you use for academic or professional work, even if you made it yourself, does need to be cited - every time!
Some URL Notes from Purdue OWL:
- Many scholarly journal articles found in databases include a DOI (digital object identifier). If a DOI is available, cite the DOI number instead of the URL.
- Online newspapers and magazines sometimes include a permalink, which is a shortened, stable version of a URL. Look for a “share” or “cite this” button to see if a source includes a permalink. If you can find a permalink, use that instead of a URL.
If you have a question or need to cite something not listed here, schedule a consultation with a librarian!
Digital Resources in MLA Style: How Do I Cite...
In MLA style, any links you include should not have the http:// portion of the URL. Visit the Purdue OWL Pages on citing Electronic Sources and Other Common Sources in MLA for more examples! For more social media post guidance, visit the MLA Style Center Advice from the Editors post on citing social media.
If the author’s name is the same as the uploader, only cite the author once. If the author is different from the uploader, cite the author’s name before the title.
Garofalo, Vanessa. "How to Avoid Plagiarism in 5 Easy Steps." YouTube, uploaded by Modern Librarian Memoirs, 5 April 2018, www.youtu.be/WV2-cmi19sg.
“8 Hot Dog Gadgets put to the Test.” YouTube, uploaded by Crazy Russian Hacker, 6 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlpjSEtELs.
Make sure to list as much information as possible to help your user find the file - if information such as record label or producer are unavailable from your source, do not list them.
Song
Zuckerman, Jeremy. "To Heal." 22 July 2015. SoundCloud, www.soundcloud.com/jeremy-zuckerman/to-heal.
Personal Interview
A personal interview is one that you have conducted yourself - the "author" is the interviewee. For other interviews, see the Purdue OWL Guide.
Crowl, Paige. Personal interview. 12 July 2019.
Podcast
"3 - Station Management." Welcome to Night Vale from NightValeRadio, 15 July 2012, www.radiopublic.com/welcome-to-night-vale-3GZp96/ep/s1!0c606.
Personal Photo
Remember to get the permission of all the people in the photo (or their guardians, if minors) before you use it in your work!
Crowl, Paige. "Happy Spinach." 28 Feb. 2017. Personal collection.
Garofalo, Christopher. "CSCE Contributor Gift Table." SmugMug, 12 April 2019, www.christophervisuals.com/OxfordCollege/CSCE/i-wP8vMbB/A.
Online Photo or Image
If the image is on the web only, then provide the name of the artist, the title of the work, and then follow the citation format for a website. If the work is posted via a username, use that username for the author. If the image has no title, put a description instead, and don't use quotation marks or italics.
Williams, Maynard O. “An Ouled Nail woman in Algeria wears a tattoo that is customary for dancers, 1949.” Found, National Geographic Creative, 10 March 2016, www.natgeofound.tumblr.com/post/140802561912/an-ouled-nail-woman-in-algeria-wears-a-tattoo-that.
Cash, Ivan. "Infographic of Infographics." Imgur, 5 April 2011, www.imgur.com/DNxvj.
If the post does not have a title or any other text, as might be the case for a post containing only an image, provide a description.
Facebook
World Wildlife Fund. “Happy Earth Day from all of us at WWF!” Facebook, 22 Apr. 2019, www.facebook.com/worldwildlifefund/photos/a.58993914793/10156574728914794.
Ng, Celeste [@pronounced_ing]. Photo of letter from Shirley Jackson. Twitter, 22 Jan. 2018, twitter.com/pronounced_ing/status/955528799357231104.
Smith, Clint. “Today is Frederick Douglass’ 200th birthday. . . .” Twitter, 14 Feb. 2018, twitter.com/ClintSmithIII/status/963810866964639745.
Hamilton Videos [@hamilton.vods]. Video of King George in Hamilton. Instagram, 5 July 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CCPEUJLDz0l/.
AI Generated Content
Generative AI is still a new technology as such the rules around citing it are still evolving. This guide lays out recommendations made by MLA for how to cite content created by generative AI.
When citing generative AI remember that you must cite any materials you are paraphrasing or direct quoting that came from the AI just as you would from any other source. Further, you should in a note or in text acknowledge any ways you used AI in the creation of your work, such as translation or editing.
Always before using AI in a project check with your professor. According to the the Undergraduate Academic Honor Code of Oxford College:
Using an artificial intelligence program to generate any content for any assignment (including, but not limited to examinations, papers, homework, and creative work) constitutes plagiarism and is a violation of the Honor Code unless students acknowledge in the assignment the extent to which an artificial intelligence program contributed to their work and outside resources are permitted for the assignment.
AI Generated Text
As MLA Style is designed to be flexible and adaptable to many kinds of sources - the citation format centers on the idea of "objects" and the "containers" they live in. AI content generated is the object and the AI tool is the container. MLA Style does not recognize AI as an author, so citing AI content is similar to citing works with an unknown author.
Basic Citation:"AI prompt description" prompt. AI Tool Name, AI Tool Version, Tool Parent Company, Date Generated, Link to AI tool.
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Note on URL: Some AI tools allow you to create a sharable link to your conversation or the item generated. If that is the case use the sharable permanent URL in your citation. If it is not available then link to the tool.
Example:
Work cited:
"In 200 words describe the symbolism of Momento Mori in European renaissance art." prompt. Gemini, 25 July, 2024 version, Google DeepMind, 30 July, 2024, https://gemini.google.com/app.
In-text:
Renaissance artist often used motifs such as skulls, wilted flowers, and hourglasses to remind viewers of death and the value of time ("In 200 words describe").
You have the AI tool create a creative piece of text like a poem or a short story, you still need to cite it same as above. If you have assigned the piece a title then you can use the title in the citation with a description of the prompt.
Example:
"Perpetual Curtain" heroic couplet about never ending rain. Gemini, 25 July, 2024 version, Google DeepMind, 30 July, 2024, https://gemini.google.com/app.
Find more examples on the MLA Style blog!
AI Generated Images
AI generated images must have a caption like all other art work. See example below:
Fig. 1. "Create a watercolor painting of a college library in outer space" prompt, Gemini, 25 July, 2024 version, Google DeepMind, 30 July, 2024, https://gemini.google.com/app.
Works Cited:
"Create a watercolor painting of a college library in outer space" prompt. Gemini, 25 July, 2024 version, Google DeepMind, 30 July, 2024, https://gemini.google.com/app.
In-Text Citations
If you are using MLA for your project, use parenthetical citations. Only include the author's last name and the page number in parentheses. If there is no author, use the title of the work in place of the author's name. Typically, you put this at the end of the sentence just before the period.
Format:(author's last name page number) Example:According to one scholar, Superman, while having many impressive superpowers, is bad at the investigative parts of crime fighting (Wayne 5). |
To cite more than one source put a semicolon between the two sources' citations.
Format:(author's last name page number; author's last name page number)Example:While these two scholars disagree about many things, both think the Justice League of America is the most effective crime fighting organization in existence (Wayne 5; Kent 8). |
For more information on MLA, see the Purdue OWL page about in-text citation.
APA Style
APA Style
The APA or American Psychological Association style of citation is mainly used for the social sciences. The style is currently in its 7th edition.
Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide
This resource, updated to reflect the APA Handbook (7th ed.), offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the references page. Check here for help citing more resources or make an appointment with an Oxford librarian!
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by
The Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication.Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types as well as guidelines on citing course materials.
ISBN: 9781433832161Publication Date: 2019-10-01
Icons are from the Noun Project and under Creative Commons licence (CCBY): books by sandra, article by Arfan Khan Kamol, website by Julynn B, link by Nathan Diesel, Video by Aybige, Audio by Manasa, Image by Mohammad Iqbal, hashtag by Gregor Cresnar.
Books
Some example citations are below, from the Purdue OWL APA Guide. Follow the link for more examples!
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Basic Book Citation Author Last Name, Author First Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of book: Capital first word subtitle. Publisher. |
How To Cite...
Stoneman, R. (2008). Alexander the Great: A life in legend. Yale University Press.
Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. New York University Press.
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. American Psychological Association.
Artman, J., Sundquist, J., & Dechow, D. R. (2016). The craft of librarian instruction: Using acting techniques to create your teaching presence. Association of College and Research Libraries.
Armstrong, D. (2019). Malory and character. In M. G. Leitch & C. J. Rushton (Eds.), A new companion to Malory (pp. 144-163). D. S. Brewer.
Articles
When citing a scholarly article from a database if you can not find a DOI, a permalink or a nondatabase URL then you do not need to provide a link in APA 9th edition, unless requested by your professor.
Some example citations are below, from the Purdue OWL APA Guide. Follow the link for more examples!
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Basic Newspaper Citation Author Last Name, Author First Initial. (Publication Year, Month Day). Title of the article. Newspaper Title. Page number, if known. DOI Basic Scholarly Journal Article Citation Author Last Name, Author First Initial. (Publication Year). Title of the article. Journal Title, Volume #(Issue #), page numbers. DOI |
If an journal article has an article number instead of a page number include the word "Article" and then the article number.
How To Cite...
McAninch, D. (2019, July 15). Seeing France’s wild mountains through a clouded, classic windshield. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/travel/cevennes-france-drive.html
Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. The Country Today, 1A, 2A.
In Print
Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(3), 5-13.
From an Online Database
Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design: Negotiating community-oriented digital research with service-learning. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement, 6(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316979
Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review of the book The self-knower: A hero under control, by R. A. Wicklund & M. Eckert]. Contemporary Psychology, 38(5), 466–467.
Irwin, D. (2019, July 9). Wot I think: Gato Roboto. [Review of the video game Gato Roboto, published by Devolver Digital, 2019]. Rock Paper Shotgun. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/07/09/gato-roboto-review/
Website
In APA style, individual webpages and documents hosted online are cited similarly to print content. Note, however, that the URL is typically included at the end of the entry. In APA style, you only need to include the date of access if the page's content will probably change over time (i.e. a wiki page).
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Basic Website Citation Authors Last name, Authors First Initial. (Publication Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL
If the resource was written by a group or organization, use the name of the group/organization as the author. If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name from the citation. Group name. (Publication Year, Month Date). Title of page. Site name. URL |
Some example citations are below, from the Purdue OWL APA Guide. Follow the link for more examples!
How To Cite...
Oxford College Library. (n.d.). Mission and Vision - Oxford College Library. https://oxford.library.emory.edu/about/about-oxford-college-library/mission-and-vision
Price, D. (2018, March 23). Laziness does not exist. Medium. https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01
Axelrod, A. (2019, August 11). A century later: The Treaty of Versailles and its rejection of racial equality. Code Switch, NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2019/08/11/742293305/a-century-later-the-treaty-of-versailles-and-its-rejection-of-racial-equality
Digital Resources
Citing personal photos, digital files, or other electronic resources can be confusing. The important thing to remember is that everything you use for academic or professional work, even if you made it yourself, does need to be cited - every time!
Some URL Notes from Purdue OWL:
- Many scholarly journal articles found in databases include a DOI (digital object identifier). If a DOI is available, cite the DOI number instead of the URL.
- Online newspapers and magazines sometimes include a permalink, which is a shortened, stable version of a URL. Look for a “share” or “cite this” button to see if a source includes a permalink. If you can find a permalink, use that instead of a URL.
If you have a question or need to cite something not listed here, schedule a consultation with a librarian!
Digital Resources in APA Style: How Do I Cite...
Visit the Purdue OWL Pages on citing Audiovisual Media and Electronic Sources in APA for more examples!
If the author’s name is the same as the uploader, only cite the author once. If the author is different from the uploader, cite the author’s name before the title.
Lushi, K. [Korab Lushi]. (2016, July 3). Albatross culture 1 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AMrJRQDPjk&t=148s
Tedx Talks. (2011, Nov. 15). TEDxHampshireCollege - Jay Smooth - How I learned to stop worrying and love discussing race [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbdxeFcQtaU
Make sure to list as much information as possible to help your user find the file - if information such as record label or producer are unavailable from your source, do not list them.
Song
Zuckerman, J. (2015, July 22). To heal [Song]. https://soundcloud.com/jeremy-zuckerman/to-heal
Dacus, L. (2018). Night shift [Song]. On Historian [Album]. Matador Records.
Personal Interview
A personal interview is one that you have conducted yourself - the "author" is the interviewee. Note that APA style does not require a reference to a personal interview.
Crowl, P. (2019, July 12). Personal interview.
Podcast
Prime, K. (Host). (2019, March 29). For whom the cowbell tolls [Audio podcast episode]. In Radiolab. WNYC Studios. https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/whom-cowbell-tolls
Personal Photo
Remember to get the permission of all the people in the photo (or their guardians, if minors) before you use it in your work!
Garofalo, C. (2019, April 12). [CSCE contributor gift table] [Photograph]. https://www.christophervisuals.com/OxfordCollege/CSCE/i-wP8vMbB/A
Online Photo or Image
The title of the item for the reference comes from its caption, so if the image has no official caption, you will describe the item inside square brackets. If the work is posted via a username, use that username for the author.
Williams, M. O. (2016, March 10). An Ouled Nail woman in Algeria wears a tattoo that is customary for dancers, 1949 [Photograph]. https://natgeofound.tumblr.com/post/140802561912/an-ouled-nail-woman-in-algeria-wears-a-tattoo-that
Cash, I. (2011, April 5). Infographic of infographics. [Infographic]. https://imgur.com/DNxvj
Only include the first 20 words of the post/caption when citing a social media post in APA style. If the post includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that information in brackets after the content description. Also attempt to replicate emojis if possible; if not, describe the emoji (i.e. [Face with Tears of Joy emoji])
Facebook
U.S. Department of the Interior. (2020, January 10). Like frosting on a cake, snow coats and clings to the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/USInterior/photos/a.155163054537384/2586475451406120/?type=3&theater
National Geographic [@NatGeo]. (2020, January 12). Scientists knew African grays are clever, but now they’ve been documented assisting other members of their species—even strangers [Tweet; thumbnail link to article]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NatGeo/status/1216346352063537154
BBC [@bbc]. (2020, January 12). Skywatchers have been treated to the first full moon of 2020-known as a “wolf moon”-at the same time as a [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OkWqbBwcf/
Images and Videos
Figure 1. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses
Note. From Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses [Painting], by Paul Cézanne, 1890, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882. Public Domain.
*Figures cited in-text must be both captioned and cited in the bibliography.
In-text citation:
(see fig. X)
(see fig. 3)
Figure Title and Note:
In APA, for images in papers you have the figure number, title and then a note, which serves as the caption. In the note if using copyrighted materials use From when reprinting an image and Adapted from if you have adapted an image. For description you place in Brackets this is often the format/medium of artwork, such as painting, photograph, sculpture, etc.
Fig. X. Title of work or Description of the work
Note. From Title [description in brackets], by artist full name, creation year; Institution, URL. Licensing information/public domain information/fair use notation.
Figure 3. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses
Note. From Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses [Painting], by Paul Cézanne, 1890, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882). Public Domain.
Figure. 5. Atlanta Streetcar,
Note. From Atlanta Streetcar [Photograph], by Lauren Holley, 2014, Flickr (flickr.com/photos/atlantadowntown/16106577510/). CC BY 2.0.
Bibliography:
Author Last Name, First Initial. (year of publication). title [description in brackets]. Source. URL.
Cézanne, P. (1890). Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses [Painting]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
Image has no known title?
If the work has no title provide a concise but informative description of the work and put it in the brackets.
Mackintosh, C. R. (1897-1900). [Chair of stained oak]. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England,
Image has no known author?
Omit the author's name, start with the title and move the date after the title:
Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses. 1890. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States. metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
No creation date?
Use (n.d.) in place of the date, this means "no data"
Cézanne, P. (n.d). Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses [Painting]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
Are you using a video screenshot?
Fig. X. Still from title of work
Note. From title [description in brackets], by director/ creator, creation year; Institution, URL. Licensing information/public domain information/fair use notation.
Figure 4. Still Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Note. From Lord of the rings: fellowship of the ring [Still from Film], by Peter Jackson, 2001, Wingnut Films; The Saul Zaentz Company. Copyright 2001 by The Saul Zaentz Company.
MLA Video Citation Examples
YouTube & Streaming Video:
Creator name. (Year, Month day). Title [description]. Platform, URL.
Modern Librarian Memoirs. (2017, November 2) What is Information Literacy? [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbe6xBibOL4.
AI Generated Content
Generative AI is still a new technology as such the rules around citing it are still evolving. This guide lays out recommendations made by APA for how to cite content created by generative AI.
Always before using AI in a project check with your professor. According to the the Undergraduate Academic Honor Code of Oxford College:
Using an artificial intelligence program to generate any content for any assignment (including, but not limited to examinations, papers, homework, and creative work) constitutes plagiarism and is a violation of the Honor Code unless students acknowledge in the assignment the extent to which an artificial intelligence program contributed to their work and outside resources are permitted for the assignment.
AI Generated Text
In APA style it you should describe how and where you used AI generated content in your work. For example in your introduction or methodology sections you might describe how you used AI.
APA recommends that you provide the prompt used and any relevant text that was generated in response.
Example:
Gemini when prompted with " In 200 words describe the symbolism of Momento Mori in European renaissance art" generated text describing how "Memento mori, Latin for "remember you must die," was a potent theme in Renaissance art." (Google DeepMind, 2024).
Reference:
Google DeepMind. (2024) Gemini [multimodal large language model]. https://gemini.google.com/app
For more information on citing AI Generated Content see the APA Style blog post on AI.
In-Text Citations
APA uses parenthetical citations for in-text citation. Include the author's last name and the date of the work. Typically you put this at the end of the sentence just before the period.
Format:(author's last name, date) Example:Scholars argue about who is the original leader of the Justice League, but one scholar is convinced it is Superman (Kent, 1938). |
In APA, only include the page number if you are directly quoting a source. (If quoting more than one page, use pp. instead of p.).
Format:(author's last name, date, p. page number) Example:While impressive, some claim that Batman's skills are "overblown by the Gotham police" and his actual contributions to the recent decrease in crime in the city are minimal (Kent, 1938, p. 12). |
To cite more than one source, put a semicolon between the two sources' citations.
Format:(author's last name, date; author's last name, date) Example:Despite the disagreement, both authors agree that global crime has decreased thanks to the effort of the Justice League (Kent, 1938; Wayne, 1939). |
For more information on APA, see the Purdue OWL page about in-text citation.
Chicago Style
Chicago Style
From the Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide:
Chicago style source citations come in two varieties: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date.
- The notes and bibliography system is preferred by many working in the humanities—including literature, history, and the arts. In this system, sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes.
- The author-date system is more common in the sciences and social sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses, by author’s last name and year of publication.
If you know you need to use Chicago style but are unsure what variation to use, ask your professor, or talk with a librarian.
Note that Chicago Style and Turabian style are nearly identical. The Turabian style manual was created to be a pared down version of the Chicago style manual for students.
Chicago Manual of Style Online
This resource, updated to reflect the Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.), offers examples of common citations in both style variations. Check here for help citing more resources or make an appointment with an Oxford librarian!
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by
When Kate L. Turabian first put her famous guidelines to paper, she could hardly have imagined the world in which today's students would be conducting research. Yet while the ways in which we research and compose papers may have changed, the fundamentals remain the same: writers need to have a strong research question, construct an evidence-based argument, cite their sources, and structure their work in a logical way. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations--also known as "Turabian"--remains one of the most popular books for writers because of its timeless focus on achieving these goals. This new edition filters decades of expertise into modern standards. While previous editions incorporated digital forms of research and writing, this edition goes even further to build information literacy, recognizing that most students will be doing their work largely or entirely online and on screens. Chapters include updated advice on finding, evaluating, and citing a wide range of digital sources and also recognize the evolving use of software for citation management, graphics, and paper format and submission. The ninth edition is fully aligned with the recently released Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, as well as with the latest edition of The Craft of Research. Teachers and users of the previous editions will recognize the familiar three-part structure. Part 1 covers every step of the research and writing process, including drafting and revising. Part 2 offers a comprehensive guide to Chicago's two methods of source citation: notes-bibliography and author-date. Part 3 gets into matters of editorial style and the correct way to present quotations and visual material. A Manual for Writers also covers an issue familiar to writers of all levels: how to conquer the fear of tackling a major writing project. Through eight decades and millions of copies, A Manual for Writers has helped generations shape their ideas into compelling research papers. This new edition will continue to be the gold standard for college and graduate students in virtually all academic disciplines.
ISBN: 022649442XPublication Date: 2018-04-16
Icons are from the Noun Project and under Creative Commons licence (CCBY): books by sandra, article by Arfan Khan Kamol, website by Julynn B, link by Nathan Diesel, Video by Aybige, Audio by Manasa, Image by Mohammad Iqbal, hashtag by Gregor Cresnar.
Books
Some example citations are below, from the Chicago Manual of Style Online. As it is the more commonly used format, we have given examples here in the Notes and Bibliography variation. Please visit the Chicago Manual of Style's page on Author-Date for examples in that format!
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Basic Book Note: #. Author First Name, Author Last Name. Title of Book. (City of publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number. Basic Book Bibliography Entry: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher, Year of publication. |
How To Cite...
Notes
1. Zadie Smith, Swing Time (New York: Penguin Press, 2016), 315–16.
Bibliography
Smith, Zadie. Swing Time. New York: Penguin Press, 2016.
Notes
2. Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015), 12.
Bibliography
Grazer, Brian, and Charles Fishman. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015.
Notes
3. Henry David Thoreau, “Walking,” in The Making of the American Essay, ed. John D’Agata (Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016), 177–78.
Bibliography
Thoreau, Henry David. “Walking.” In The Making of the American Essay, edited by John D’Agata, 167–95. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016.
Articles
Some example citations are below, from the Chicago Manual of Style Online. As it is the more commonly used format, we have given examples here in the Notes and Bibliography variation. Please visit the Chicago Manual of Style's page on Author-Date for examples in that format!
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Basic Scholarly Journal Article Note #. Author First Name Author Last Name. "Title of the Article in Quotation Marks," Journal Title Volume #, no. issue # (Publication date): page number, DOI/URL/Name of Database (only if no link available) Basic Scholarly Journal Article Bibliography Entry Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of the Article in Quotation Marks." Journal Title Volume #, no. issue # (Publication date): page number. DOI/URL |
From the Chicago Manual of Style Online:
If there are four or more authors, list up to ten in the bibliography; in a note, list only the first, followed by et al. (“and others”).
How To Cite...
Notes
1. Rebecca Mead, “The Prophet of Dystopia,” New Yorker, April 17, 2017, 43.
2. Farhad Manjoo, “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera,” New York Times, March 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html.
Bibliography
Manjoo, Farhad. “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera.” New York Times, March 8, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html.
Mead, Rebecca. “The Prophet of Dystopia.” New Yorker, April 17, 2017.
In Print
Notes
1. Susan Satterfield, “Livy and the Pax Deum,” Classical Philology 111, no. 2 (April 2016): 170.
Bibliography
Satterfield, Susan. “Livy and the Pax Deum.” Classical Philology 111, no. 2 (April 2016): 165–76.
From an Online Database
Notes
2. Shao-Hsun Keng, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem, “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality,” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 9–10, https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.
Bibliography
Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.
Notes
1. Michiko Kakutani, “Friendship Takes a Path That Diverges,” review of Swing Time, by Zadie Smith, New York Times, November 7, 2016.
Bibliography
Kakutani, Michiko. “Friendship Takes a Path That Diverges.” Review of Swing Time, by Zadie Smith. New York Times, November 7, 2016.
Website
Some example citations are below, from the Chicago Manual of Style Online. As it is the more commonly used format, we have given examples here in the Notes and Bibliography variation. Please visit the Chicago Manual of Style's page on Author-Date for examples in that format!
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Basic Webpage Note #. "Title of the Webpage," Name of Website, Publication or revision date if available. Access date if no other date is available. URL. Basic Webpage Bibliography Entry Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of the webpage." Name of Website. Publication or revision date if available. Access date if no other date is available. URL. |
Please note that in Chicago Style, the URL of an online resource is always included.
How To Cite...
Notes
1. “Privacy Policy,” Privacy & Terms, Google, last modified April 17, 2017, https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.
2. “About Yale: Yale Facts,” Yale University, accessed May 1, 2017, https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.
Bibliography
Google. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Last modified April 17, 2017. https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.
Yale University. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed May 1, 2017. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.
Notes
1. “Libraries = Strong Communities: Celebrating National Library Week,” Oxford College Library, accessed July 25, 2019, https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/oxford/events/libraries-strong-communities-celebrating-national-library-week/.
Bibliography
Oxford College Library. “Libraries = Strong Communities: Celebrating National Library Week.” Accessed July 25, 2019. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/oxford/events/libraries-strong-communities-celebrating-national-library-week/.
Digital Resources
Citing personal photos, digital files, or other electronic resources can be confusing. The important thing to remember is that everything you use for academic or professional work, even if you made it yourself, does need to be cited - every time! Click on the tabs above to see some commonly cited items in each style. Remember to follow the indentation guidelines of your chosen style.
Some URL Notes from Purdue OWL:
- Many scholarly journal articles found in databases include a DOI (digital object identifier). If a DOI is available, cite the DOI number instead of the URL.
- Online newspapers and magazines sometimes include a permalink, which is a shortened, stable version of a URL. Look for a “share” or “cite this” button to see if a source includes a permalink. If you can find a permalink, use that instead of a URL.
If you have a question or need to cite something not listed here, schedule a consultation with a librarian!
Digital Resources in Chicago Style: How Do I Cite...
Some of the examples used here are from the Purdue OWL guide to Chicago Style. As it is the more commonly used format, we have given examples here in the Notes and Bibliography variation. Please visit the Chicago Manual of Style's page on Author-Date for examples in that format!
Note/Bibliography
1. Alejandra Ortega, “Grammar: Active and Passive Voice,” Purdue OWL, February 1, 2019, video, 4:22, http://youtu.be/GEP-8lFTKKg.
Ortega, Alejandra. “Grammar: Active and Passive Voice.” Purdue OWL. February 1, 2019. Video, 4:22. http://youtu.be/GEP-8lFTKKg.
Song - Note/Bibliography
1. Jeremy Zuckerman, "To Heal," 2015, Soundcloud, https://soundcloud.com/jeremy-zuckerman/to-heal?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing.
2. Ray Charles, vocalist, “Georgia on My Mind,” by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, recorded March 1960, track 2 on The Genius Hits the Road, ABC-Paramount, vinyl LP.
Charles, Ray. “Georgia on My Mind.” By Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell. Recorded March 1960. Track 2 on The Genius Hits the Road. ABC-Paramount, vinyl LP.
Zuckerman, Jeremy. To Heal. Soundcloud. Audio file.
Podcast - Note/Bibliography
1. Sean Cole and Ira Glass, “622: Who You Gonna Call?,” August 4, 2017, in This American Life, produced by WBEZ, podcast, MP3 audio, 1:00:27, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/622/who-you-gonna-call.
Cole, Sean and Ira Glass. “622: Who You Gonna Call?.” Produced by WBEZ. This American Life. August 4, 2017. Podcast, MP3 audio, 1:00:27. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/622/who-you-gonna-call.
In Chicago style, information about art pieces is usually given in the text, not the bibliography. If an entry is needed, use these guidelines.
Personal Photo - Note/Bibliography
Remember to get the permission of all the people in the photo (or their guardians, if minors) before you use it in your work! For your own photographs, it is sufficient to give just a credit line/ caption below the image. Example caption:
Figure 1. Christopher Garofalo, CSCE contributor gift table, April 12, 2019, SmugMug. www.christophervisuals.com/OxfordCollege/CSCE/i-wP8vMbB/A.
Online Photo or Image - Note/Bibliography
If the work is posted via a username, use that username for the author.
1. Maynard Owen Williams, "An Ouled Nail woman in Algeria wears a tattoo that is customary for dancers, 1949," NatGeoFound, March 10, 2016. https://natgeofound.tumblr.com/post/140802561912/an-ouled-nail-woman-in-algeria-wears-a-tattoo-that.
Williams, Maynard Owen. "An Ouled Nail woman in Algeria wears a tattoo that is customary for dancers, 1949." NatGeoFound. March 10, 2016. https://natgeofound.tumblr.com/post/140802561912/an-ouled-nail-woman-in-algeria-wears-a-tattoo-that.
Posts on social media will often be cited only as notes, though if you intend to discuss the content in depth, you should also put a citation in the bibliography. The Chicago Manual of Style recommends taking a screenshot of social media posts as they may be edited or deleted in the future.
Example
Conan O’Brien’s tweet was characteristically deadpan: “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets” (@ConanOBrien, April 22, 2015).
Example - Note/Bibliography
2. Bill Nye (@BillNye), “While I’m not much for skipping school, I sure am in favor of calling attention to the seriousness of climate change. Our students can see the problem…,” Twitter, March 14, 2019, https://twitter.com/BillNye/status/1106242216123486209.
Nye, Bill (@BillNye). “While I’m not much for skipping school, I sure am in favor of calling attention to the seriousness of climate change. Our students can see the problem….” Twitter, March 14, 2019. https://twitter.com/BillNye/status/1106242216123486209.
*Figures cited in-text must be both captioned and cited in the bibliography.
In-text citation:
see fig. X
see fig. 3
Photographs and Online Images Caption:
* Captions can be short incomplete sentences or more formal description of the work providing explanatory information about the image. This then must be followed by a credit line for the image. A caption can just be the credit line. Credit line will vary based on the copyright of the item. Below are examples for how to cite items used without restrictions.
Fig. X. Description of work, (type of item) courtesy of Creator Name, source of item.
Fig. 5. Atlanta Streetcar. (Photograph courtesy by Lauren Holley. Flickr. 2014. flickr.com/photos/atlantadowntown/16106577510/. CC BY 2.0)
Artwork Captions:
Fig. X. Artist’s name (last name, first name), Title, Date, Medium and support. Source. (Copyright Information).
Fig. 3. Cézanne, Paul, Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, 1890, Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 36 3/8 in. New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882. (Public Domain).
Note:
#. Author Name Title, Date, Medium and support, Source, URL.
1. Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, 1890, Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 36 3/8 in., New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
Bibliography:
Artist’s name (last name, first name). Title. Date. Medium and support. Source. the location of the work. URL.
Cézanne, Paul. Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses. 1890, Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 36 3/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435882.
AI Generated Content
Generative AI is still a new technology as such the rules around citing it are still evolving. This guide lays out recommendations made by Chicago Manual of Style for how to cite content created by generative AI.
Always before using AI in a project check with your professor. According to the the Undergraduate Academic Honor Code of Oxford College:
Using an artificial intelligence program to generate any content for any assignment (including, but not limited to examinations, papers, homework, and creative work) constitutes plagiarism and is a violation of the Honor Code unless students acknowledge in the assignment the extent to which an artificial intelligence program contributed to their work and outside resources are permitted for the assignment.
AI Generated Text
Chicago Manual of Style recommends always noting in text when you are using materials generated by AI tools. In causal situations this might be something like this poem was created by Google Gemini. However, in scholarly work, such as school assignments, you must provide a more formal citation.
Basic Footnote Citation:#. Text generated by AI Tool Name, AI Parent Company, Month day, year, Sharable URL to Conversation. |
Chicago Manual of Style advises that you cite AI generated text similar to how you similar to how you would cite personal communications in Chicago (See CMOS 14.112). So you should cite were AI text is included in a note or using in the text, but you typically would not include it in a bibliography.
Cited in text:
The following description of Momento Mori was generated on July 30,2024, by Gemini.
Cited in note:
1. Texted generated by Gemini, Google, 30 July, 2024, https://g.co/gemini/share/9753376cc70d.
If prompt is not included in text it can be added to the note, if there are multiple prompts from an extended conversation it can be summarized in the note.
2. Response to "In 200 words describe the symbolism of Momento Mori in European renaissance art," Gemini, Google, 30 July, 2024, https://g.co/gemini/share/9753376cc70d.
If you do need to cite it in your bibliography cite it under the name of the developer or publisher.
Google. Response to "In 200 words describe the symbolism of Momento Mori in European renaissance art." Gemini, 30 July, 2024, https://g.co/gemini/share/9753376cc70d.
For further guidance see the Chicago Manual of Style.
AI Generated Images
AI generated images must have a caption like all other art work. See example below:
Fig. 1. Image generated by Gemini, 30 July, 2024, from the prompt "Create a watercolor painting of a college library in outer space."
You can include a URL if you have a sharable URL to the conversation similar to generated text. For more information see Chicago Manual of Style.
In-Text Citations
Chicago style source citations come in two varieties: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. Always check with your professor or a librarian about which style to use.
Note-Bibliography:
In note-bibliography style you are using footnotes for in-text citation. This means in your text, you have a note number superscripted at the end of the clause or sentence you are citing. Then you have a corresponding full-sized number followed by a period in your footer that lists the full note for the source.
Example:According to one source “Superman is the least impressive member of the Justice League.” 1
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The full note needs to correspond to a source listed in your bibliography. Full notes, while providing the same information as a citation in your bibliography, have different formatting. Be aware of these differences when creating your notes and bibliography.
After you cite the source for the first time in the subsequent citations of the source you can use a shortened version of the citation. That is just the author’s last name, a shortened title, and page number. Make sure to include enough of the title that readers can recognize the source.
Example:1. Wayne, Why Batman, 6. |
Most word processors will insert footnotes into your work for you and keep track of the order. You will just need to supply the citation. Zotero also can insert footnotes - make sure to select Chicago full note when setting up your document preferences.
Author-date:
Chicago’s parenthetical citations include the author's last name, the date, and a page number. Note that you do not put a comma between the author's last name and the date in Chicago style parenthetical citations.
Format:(author's last name date, page number) Example:In contrast, some scholars argue that Superman and Batman are destructive in their crime fighting actions (Prince 1941, 3). |
To cite more than one source put a semicolon between the two sources' citations.
Format:(author date, page number; author date, page number) Example:Of all the Justice League members, Aquaman is the least well liked and is often only praised for his ability to speak with fish in the literature (Wayne 1939, 63; Clark 1938, 108). |
For more information about Chicago, see the Purdue OWL page about in-text citation.