Ethical Research

Citation Resources

Citation is often one of the least favorite activities for any writer. Painstakingly tedious, detail oriented, and hard to do quickly, many put the proper citation of sources off to the last minute until completion of all other aspects of the project. This oftentimes leads to citation errors, missing citations, and incomplete notes.

In order to help those who suffer from this Citation-itis, have no fear! There are a number of resources to help you with your citation questions and concerns. Just a few are listed below:

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Citation Features in databases
Nearly every database Ensor LRC subscribes to include a citation feature. From EBSCO databases that contains the “Cite” tool on the right hand side, Credo Reference’s citation list at the bottom of every entry, to JSTOR’s “Cite this Item” selection, databases often provide the citation for each of the big three (APA, MLA, CMS) – and often more – styles for you to copy and paste into works cited pages, reference pages, or bibliographies.
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Offered by Purdue University, the Online Writing Lab houses writing resources and instructional material provided to not only to Purdue students, but users worldwide. Here you will find information to assist with many writing projects, including how to pick a topic, help with citation styles and formatting, and a host of other aspects related to the writing craft.
KnightCite
Provided by Hekman Library at Calvin College, KnightCite formats bibliographic information per academic standards for use in research papers and scholarly works. This tool can generate citations and bibliographic information in three formats, MLA Style Manual, APA style and The Chicago Manual of Style.
NC State University Citation Builder
Based on the American Psychological Association 6th edition, Modern Language Association 7th edition, Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition, and the Council of Science Editors, this citation builder is provided by NC State University Libraries.
A Word of Warning: While these tools are valuable and can help point you the right direction for proper citation, please be aware that they too get citations wrong. Perhaps they are pulling from an older edition of a citation manual, use improper capitalization in source titles, or put the incorrect punctuation in a certain place, these tools are not perfect. It is imperative for you to check any citation you may borrow from any of these tools against the relevant style guide to ensure proper citation. Remember, it is your responsibility to provide the correct information for your resources, not the system!