The first thing you need to do is understand exactly what a citation really is. Why is this so important, you ask? Because once you know what a citation is, you will immediately learn how to use citations in essay papers. Basically, a citation is any quote you use from an external source. A citation is also anything you reference in your writing. So, if you need to quote something from a book – any book – you would insert that quotation into your writing and then cite the work you used. Alternatively, if you were to use some stats from somewhere (compiled or researched by someone else), you would cite the work used and the author. Citations are important because they give credit to the original author. By using proper citations, you ensure that your essay is not plagiarized. You are not copying somebody else’s work
As you can see, it’s actually very easy to learn how to use citations. And remember, citations will help you not only base your writing on stats and information researched by other authors
Now that you know how to use Chicago style citations (or any other citation style), it’s time for some tips and tricks:
Do you know how to use citations? Probably not. But you shouldn’t worry too much
How to Use Citations in Essay: What Are Citations
As we mentioned earlier, citations are very important because they help you avoid plagiarism. It would be impossible to write each and every essay from scratch, basing your writing exclusively on your own research. This is why quotes are permitted. But you need to learn how to use citations in Word to make sure you don’t get penalized. Even though inserting a citation is pretty simple, it is very important to insert it correctly. Why? Because each style has its own method of using citations. MLA citations are usually different from APA citations. But don’t worry
- You can use various tools to organize and keep track of your citations. Examples include EasyBib, Zotero and Citation Builder.
- Learn how to use the References tab in Microsoft Work. It will make citing a lot easier and faster.
- Avoid using too many citations
- Insert the quote or the stats you are citing. For example: “To be or not to be”, said Shakespeare.
- At the end of the paragraph, write the author’s last name and the year of publication of the source material between parentheses. For example: “This is a quoted text.” (Smith, 2018).
- Insert the complete reference into the References section at the end of the essay. The reference needs to contain the surname and the initial of the author, the date of publication, and the title of the work. For example: Smith, J. 2002: Becoming the Best Essay Writer Ever. London: The Falmer Press.
- Make sure you have cited the correct reference. Citing the wrong reference will get you penalized.
The first thing you need to do is understand exactly what a citation really is. Why is this so important, you ask? Because once you know what a citation is, you will immediately learn how to use citations in essay papers. Basically, a citation is any quote you use from an external source. A citation is also anything you reference in your writing. So, if you need to quote something from a book – any book – you would insert that quotation into your writing and then cite the work you used. Alternatively, if you were to use some stats from somewhere (compiled or researched by someone else), you would cite the work used and the author. Citations are important because they give credit to the original author. By using proper citations, you ensure that your essay is not plagiarized. You are not copying somebody else’s work
As you can see, it’s actually very easy to learn how to use citations. And remember, citations will help you not only base your writing on stats and information researched by other authors
Now that you know how to use Chicago style citations (or any other citation style), it’s time for some tips and tricks:
Do you know how to use citations? Probably not. But you shouldn’t worry too much
How to Use Citations in Essay: What Are Citations
As we mentioned earlier, citations are very important because they help you avoid plagiarism. It would be impossible to write each and every essay from scratch, basing your writing exclusively on your own research. This is why quotes are permitted. But you need to learn how to use citations in Word to make sure you don’t get penalized. Even though inserting a citation is pretty simple, it is very important to insert it correctly. Why? Because each style has its own method of using citations. MLA citations are usually different from APA citations. But don’t worry
- You can use various tools to organize and keep track of your citations. Examples include EasyBib, Zotero and Citation Builder.
- Learn how to use the References tab in Microsoft Work. It will make citing a lot easier and faster.
- Avoid using too many citations
- Insert the quote or the stats you are citing. For example: “To be or not to be”, said Shakespeare.
- At the end of the paragraph, write the author’s last name and the year of publication of the source material between parentheses. For example: “This is a quoted text.” (Smith, 2018).
- Insert the complete reference into the References section at the end of the essay. The reference needs to contain the surname and the initial of the author, the date of publication, and the title of the work. For example: Smith, J. 2002: Becoming the Best Essay Writer Ever. London: The Falmer Press.
- Make sure you have cited the correct reference. Citing the wrong reference will get you penalized.
For instance: Last, First M. “Article Title.”Website Title. Website Publisher, Date Month Year Published. Web. Date Month Year Accessed.
It doesn’t matter if you are just a high school student or you are already a professional writer: you should be able to cite the sources you use with a specific style of formatting. Two most popular and commonly used in citing styles are MLA and APA. They make sure there is no plagiarism in the text and provide the readers with the link where they can find more info about the paper.
You can use the following example to understand what we mean: Bjork, R. A. (1989). Retrieval inhibition as an adaptive mechanism in human memory. In H. L. Roediger III, & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), Varieties of memory & consciousness (pp. 309-330). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
MLA formatting style does not require adding the URL, However, they require you to include the publisher of the website or its sponsor (and usually it is a corporation, not an individual).
How to cite a website in an essay
By the way, to make sure your citation is made in the proper way – use online citation generator tools, which are able help with the formatting style
In APA you should just cite a general website article with the author.
You can use the following example to understand what we mean: Harris, Muriel. “Talk to Me: Engaging Reluctant Writers.” A Tutor’s Guide: Helping Writers One to One. Ed. Ben Rafoth. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000. 24-34. Print.
- Write the last name of the author followed by a comma and the first name followed by a period.
- Write the essay title ending it with a period. You should capitalize only the first letter in the first word and not all of them like in MLA.
- Write it in italics or underline and then end it with a period.
Finalizing the Submission
At this stage of writing, your content should be well polished. After taking your essay through a peer review and/or red pen edits, make sure to:Where to start: When writing any academic writing assignment, a student should begin by shaping a solid introduction.
Academic writing can be categorized into four main types of essays that serve unique purposes—though some share similar structures. With that being said, the four types of academic papers are narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive.
Before commencing any academic writing, you need to create four essential components that need to be answered beforehand. They are the thesis statement, subpoints, a connection, and the summary.
Writing Process
To fully understand how and when to use an academic essay, we need to look at the main types of them.
The main body's goal is to answer any questions that have appeared in the reader’s mind after the introduction. Every new point should get the audience closer to understanding the complete concept you deliver throughout your essay. Ideally, your goal is to bring them to the same level of knowledge on the subject as you have in your capacity. After doing so successfully, it is time to transition to the conclusion.
Here are the main requirements for writing a strong body section:
Writing a persuasive paper requires one to embrace the role of a salesman (or saleswoman). You can state an opinion, project, or idea which you then have to sell to your reader(s). The logic behind how you supply the reader(s) with information should be impenetrable, leaving them with no doubt that what you are expressing is the only truth they need to know. Cater your points carefully to avoid being pushy, and hide your sales tactic behind well-thought-out sentences. When it comes to defending an argument, you can use logical tactics, emotional tactics, or a mix of both
Example: Smith (2004, p. 200) claims that fiction in literature is almost dead in the 21st century.
Long – The format of longer pieces is also similar to MLA style but has to be followed with a brief reflection on the provided evidence that you write in your own words. They should also be double-spaced and s indented 0,5 inches.
For example, you want to include a paragraph of some relevant article in your text and restate its main idea with your own words – this is a citation. In this case, you can’t just paste the original piece in your text. Quoting, on the contrary, assumes that you will paste a direct phrase or paragraph without changing anything, and that is how these two elements are different.
Example: Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there
MLA citation for an essay
This is not all you need to know. The format of these components is another important thing. The format is determined by the citation styles and you have to use the one that was specified in the guidelines by your instructor for your academic paper, otherwise, you risk getting a lower grade.
Example: In his work, Smith claims that the fiction in the literature is almost dead in the 21st century. 1
This style is different from others. Here you can make in-text citations using endnotes or footnotes, which means that you don’t need to include anything except the number of citations after the phrase, but on the endnotes page (or in footnotes) you will need to provide comprehensive bibliographical information. Look at the example below.
Short – In accordance with this style, a short quote is a phrase that is less than four printed lines of prose or three lines of verse. If your phrase meets these requirements regarding length, then you will just need to mark it with double quotes, indicate the author's last name, and specify the page number. Also, you need to include some sort of an introductory text before.