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FAQs about Citations in ... MLA & in... APA
Disclaimer: The Librarians make no claims to be experts in MLA & APA style. However, we are frequently asked questions about style. If you disagree with our interpretations of the style manuals, or if we are flat-out wrong, please email the Library.
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| FAQs about citations in MLA style: |
1. Q. What are the proper abbreviations to use formonths?
A. According to p. 263 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. -
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January -
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Jan. |
July -
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July |
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February -
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Feb. |
August -
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Aug. |
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March-
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Mar. |
September -
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Sep. or Sept. |
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April -
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Apr. |
October -
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Oct. |
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May -
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May |
November -
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Nov. |
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June -
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June |
December -
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Dec. |
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| 2. Q. How do I cite something that is cited in what I am reading? |
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A. According to p. 252 - 253 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. -
"Whenever you can, take material from the original source, not a secondhand one. Sometimes, however, only an indirect source is available -- for example, someone's published account of another's spoken remarks. If what you quote or paraphrase is itself a quotation, put the abbreviation qtd. in ("quoted in") before the indirect source you cite in your parenthetical reference. (You may document the original source in a note; see 5.5.1)
Samuel Johnson admitted that Edmund Burke was an "extraordinary man" (qtd. in Boswell 2: 450).
Works Cited
Boswell, James. The Life of Johnson. Ed. George Birkbeck Hill and L. F. Powell. 6 vols. Oxford: Claredon, 1934-1950."
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| FAQs about citations inAPA style: |
1. Q. Do I double-space my reference list, and if I do, do I add an extra space between references? |
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A. According to p. 336 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association -
"Double spacing is required throughout most of the manuscript. When single-spacing would improve readability, however, it is usually encouraged. Single spacing can be used for table titles and headings, figures, captions, references (but double spacing is required between references), footnotes, and long quotations. Long quotations may also be indented five spaces."
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| 2. Q. How do I cite an article which is cited in the article I am using? |
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A. According to pp. 200-201 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
"22. Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source (e.g., for a study by Seidenberg and McClelland cited in Coltheart et al.).
Coltheart, M., Curtis, B., Atkins, P., & Haller, M. (1993). Models of reading aloud: Dual-route and parallel-disturbed-processing approaches. Psychological Review, 100, 589-608.
Give the secondary source in the reference list; in text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary source. For example, if Seidenberg and McClelland's work is cited in Coltheart et al. and you did not read the work cited, list the Coltheart et al. reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation: Seidenberg and McClelland's study (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller, 1993)"
Comment: APA has spoken.
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| 3. Q. What is the proper use of the comma when I have a series of three of more words or phrases in a sentence? |
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A. According to p. 62 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association -
Use a comma
-between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or
more items.
[examples]
the height, width, or depth
in a study by Stacy, Newcomb, and Bentler (1991)
Comment: APA has spoken.
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| 4. Q. If the author has a first and middle name, do I put a space between the initials? |
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A. According to p. 206 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association -
Yes - "[include a space] after the periods of the initials in personal names (e.g., J. R. Zhang)"
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| 5. Q. How do I write an abstract? |
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Librarians are frequently asked questions from faculty and students about guidelines on writing abstracts (or annotations). For students the answer is easy, "Whatever your professor wants." For faculty.... Amazingly, the APA style manual does not specify.
This extract from Martha Davis, Scientific Papers and Presentations (Ref. T 11.D234 1997) may help; consult the original for about two pages of fuller description:
"For journal publications you will need the informative abstract.,,,[which] must be a short, concise, but completely self-explanatory report on a scientific investigation. Like the report itself, the abstract must include:
1. The research objectives and basic justification for conducting the investigation
2. The basic methods used
3. The results and significant conclusions that can be drawn
...omitted from the abstract are the literature review and discussion. ...[It] should not exceed 200 to 250 words." p. 101.
Davis also includes an appendix with four successively better versions of an abstract.
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6. Q. How do you cite two works by the same author published in the same year?
A. According to p. 221 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. -
Lower case letters are added to the year. In the references list, it would look like this:
Dietrich, D. M. (2001a). Blah, blah, . . .
Dietrich, D. M. (2001b). More blah, more blah, . . .
In the narrative, it would be: "Dietrich (2001a) first found that . . . , but Dietrich (2001b) contradicted the earlier finding,"
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