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APA references generally include information about the author , publication date , title , and source . Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.
It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.
Missing element | What to do | Reference format |
---|---|---|
Author | Start the reference entry with the source title. | Title. (Date). Source. |
Date | Write “n.d.” for “no date”. | Author. (n.d.). Title. Source. |
Title | Describe the work in square brackets. | Author. (Date). [Description]. Source. |
On the first line of the page, write the section label “References” (in bold and centered). On the second line, start listing your references in alphabetical order .
Apply these formatting guidelines to the APA reference page:
On the reference page, you only include sources that you have cited in the text (with an in-text citation ). You should not include references to personal communications that your reader can’t access (e.g. emails, phone conversations or private online material).
In addition to the APA Citation Generator, Scribbr provides many more tools and resources that help millions of students and academics every month.
References provide the information necessary for readers to identify and retrieve each work cited in the text .
Check each reference carefully against the original publication to ensure information is accurate and complete. Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher and writer.
Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements (who, when, what, and where) with ease. When you present each reference in a consistent fashion, readers do not need to spend time determining how you organized the information. And when searching the literature yourself, you also save time and effort when reading reference lists in the works of others that are written in APA Style.
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What is a citation.
Citations are a way of giving credit when certain material in your work came from another source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find that source again-- it provides an important roadmap to your research process. Whenever you use sources such as books, journals or websites in your research, you must give credit to the original author by citing the source.
Scholarship is a conversation and scholars use citations not only to give credit to original creators and thinkers, but also to add strength and authority to their own work. By citing their sources, scholars are placing their work in a specific context to show where they “fit” within the larger conversation. Citations are also a great way to leave a trail intended to help others who may want to explore the conversation or use the sources in their own work.
In short, citations
(1) give credit
(2) add strength and authority to your work
(3) place your work in a specific context
(4) leave a trail for other scholars
"Good citations should reveal your sources, not conceal them. They should honeslty reflect the research you conducted." (Lipson 4)
Lipson, Charles. "Why Cite?" Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More . Chicago: U of Chicago, 2006. Print.
Different subject disciplines call for citation information to be written in very specific order, capitalization, and punctuation. There are therefore many different style formats. Three popular citation formats are MLA Style (for humanities articles) and APA or Chicago (for social sciences articles).
MLA style (print journal article):
Whisenant, Warren A. "How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX." Sex Roles Vol. 49.3 (2003): 179-182.
APA style (print journal article):
Whisenant, W. A. (2003) How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX. Sex Roles , 49 (3), 179-182.
Chicago style (print journal article):
Whisenant, Warren A. "How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX." Sex Roles 49, no. 3 (2003): 179-182.
No matter which style you use, all citations require the same basic information:
You are most likely to have easy access to all of your citation information when you find it in the first place. Take note of this information up front, and it will be much easier to cite it effectively later.
Research and reference services.
Back to Researchers Home
The Library has in its collections well over 100 million items, in hundreds of different languages and virtually every format--not just books and journals, but also prints, drawings, government documents, photographs, microforms, films, sound and video recordings, manuscripts, and other formats. As large and diverse as the Library's collections are, it does not have every book ever published. While virtually all subject areas are represented in the collections, the Library does not attempt to collect comprehensively in the areas of clinical medicine and technical agriculture, which are covered by the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library , respectively. Researchers should also note that the Library of Congress is distinct from the National Archives , which is the major repository for the official records of the United States government.
Because of the extraordinary size and diversity of the Library's collections, there is no one place for researchers to access them. Most (but not all) of the Library's collections are located in the three main buildings of the Library--the Thomas Jefferson Building, James Madison Building, and John Adams Building--near the U.S. Capitol. (The collections of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled are housed elsewhere; consult their web page for more information.) Researchers coming to the Library can access materials in over 20 public reading rooms in the Jefferson, Adams, or Madison Buildings, depending on the format, subject, or language of the materials they are using. Most researchers use more than one reading room during their stay here. An annotated list of the Library's reading rooms is available on the Library of Congress website, as is the full text of Information for Researchers , a Library publication introducing prospective researchers to Library policies and services.
There is no one resource which lists all of the Library's holdings. Most of the Library's books, journals, and microforms from 1968 to the present are listed in the Library of Congress Online Catalog . The online catalog also has partial listings of some of the Library's non-book collections (e.g. manuscripts, sound recordings, sheet music), and partial listings of pre-1968 books, journals and microforms. Library of Congress materials are also listed in online bibliographic databases (e.g. OCLC), which are available at local libraries; consult your local librarians for more information on these services.
Not all of the Library's collections are listed in the online catalogs. The online catalog has only partial listings for non-book materials, and for books and monographs older than 1968. For older books, monographs, and serials, off-site researchers can consult the various editions of the National Union Catalog and the National Union List of Serials , which list the holdings of many U.S. research libraries including the Library of Congress. The National Union Catalog is available at many local libraries.
The Library's main card catalog, which lists book and journal holdings to the end of 1980, is located in the Main Reading Room of the Thomas Jefferson Building (LJ 100), and can only be searched on site. This is at present the most reliable source of information for books and journals older than 1968. Many of the Library's non-book materials are listed in catalogs available only in the appropriate Library of Congress reading room; consultation with reference staff in the reading room is necessary to locate materials. A list of the Library's reading rooms , with information about their collections and links to their web pages, is available on the Library of Congress website.
The files available through the online catalog provide bibliographic information only. The full text of books and journals is not available through the catalog. However, the Library does make available the full text of some materials via the Internet (see question "5" below).
The American Memory project to present digitized versions of American historical materials provides many examples of texts, photographs, sound recordings, and other materials from our collections. Many Library of Congress publications are available in full text online, such as the Handbook for Latin American Studies and Federal Research Division Country Studies/Area Handbooks . Some of the Library's exhibitions are also available on the Internet. Very occasionally, you may also find links in catalog records to the full text of resources which have been digitized by other institutions. However, these are only a small percentage of the Library's total holdings. Also, the Library provides full text of many bibliographies and guides to its collections.
Many of the items listed in the Library of Congress catalogs are available in other libraries. You can ask your local librarian about interlibrary loan service from participating libraries. Your library may be able to borrow a book from the Library of Congress provided it is not available at any other libraries.
Yes, the following provides guidance on our policy and ways to communicate with us. The Library of Congress encourages researchers to use local library resources first. Your local library will often be able to respond to your query more quickly than the Library of Congress, and is better able to identify and respond to your specific and ongoing needs. In most cases, you will find that the information you need is available at your local library. Once you have exhausted local and regional resources, you may seek the assistance of the Library of Congress by using our Ask A Librarian service . If you do not have Internet access, you may request the Library's assistance by writing correspondence to the following address: Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave. SE Washington, D.C. 20540
For security reasons, all U.S. Postal Service and private carrier mail is being screened off-site prior to arrival at the Library. This often causes delays in responding to print correspondence. For this reason, we recommend that researchers use the online Ask A Librarian service . The Library refers telephone reference questions to local libraries, which in most cases will have the resources to answer those questions. Researchers with questions regarding the Library's collections, services, and programs may call the Library of Congress operator at (202) 707-5000.
The Library of Congress maintains Congress.gov . The full text of bills is available for the 101st Congress, 1989-90, to the present, although bill status and summaries are available going back to the 93rd Congress (1973-74). (The full text of Congressional reports is also available from the 104th Congress, 1995-96, to the present). For bills from previous Congresses and for government documents, reports prior to the 104th Congress, and Congressional hearings, visit a Federal Depository Library in your area. There is a database of Federal Depository Libraries , searchable by state or area code, available at the Government Printing Office website. Also, your local librarian can give you the location of the depository library in your Congressional district. There you can speak with a government documents librarian.
The Library is open to all researchers above high school age (16 years or older) possessing a valid photo identification (e.g. driver's license, passport) with a current address. However, the following policies and limitations apply to minors age 16 and above:
Students under the age of 16 who have a compelling research need to use the Library’s collections may petition the Associate Librarian for Library Services for admittance to Library reading rooms. In virtually all cases, high school projects can be completed using local libraries or interlibrary loan; the Library encourages high school students to use these resources in their research.
The Library has over 20 public reading rooms organized by subject, language, or format of material. Hours and policies vary for each. Each reading room has a web page with information on its hours, access policies, and its collections. You can view a consolidated list of reading room hours or listen to a recorded announcement of reading room hours at (202) 707-6400. You can also find out about the Library in published sources such as the American Library Directory (New York: R.R. Bowker, published annually). Such sources are widely available in local libraries.
The Library's three main buildings--the Thomas Jefferson Building, James Madison Building, and John Adams Building--are located on the 100 and 200 blocks of Independence Avenue SE in Washington D.C. Maps and floor plans for the Library of Congress are available online . Directions to the Library of Congress and information about public transportation options are available on the Library's Visitors Web site (because parking facilties near the Library are extremely limited, researchers are encouraged to use public transportation).
If after you have gotten your Reader Identification Card you are uncertain where to go to start your research, you may seek reference assistance in the Main Reading Room (Room 100 in the Jefferson Building). There are Research Guidance Volunteers in LM140 who can assist a researcher find his/her initial path to research his/her subject. Many first-time researchers are referred to the Main Reading Room to get oriented and plan their research in consultation with a reference librarian. You may be referred to another reading room, depending on the subject of your research, or the format or language of the materials you are using. In fact, many researchers need to visit reading rooms in all three of the Library's main buildings to complete their work.
The Humanities and Social Sciences Division of the Library offers a general research orientation to the Library on most (but not all) Monday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and on some Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The orientations are held in Room G07 of the Jefferson Building. A schedule and overview of the research orientation classes is available online. The schedule for research orientations can also be heard on a recorded message at (202) 707-4608. Advance registration is required for all classes; to register, call (202) 707-3370 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or register online .
Some Library of Congress reading rooms also offer research orientations or tours specific to their collections and services. Links to information about these sessions, including schedules and registration information appears at the bottom of the Classes for First-time Users page.
With a few exceptions, the Library's collections of books, journals, and other materials are in closed stacks, and must be retrieved. Researchers may request materials using an online automated call system or may fill out paper call slips to request the materials they need. Most of the Library's general collection of books and journals is in the closed stacks of the Jefferson and Adams Buildings; specialized collections of books and other materials are in closed stacks in all three main Library buildings, or are stored off-site. Delivery times vary with the different reading rooms, ranging from a few minutes to the next business day. You should consult the various reading room home pages for more information on delivery of materials. If you are not certain where to request materials, consult a reference librarian. All of the reading rooms have reference collections on open shelves, where researchers may retrieve materials for themselves and use them in the reading room. However, these materials represent only a small fraction of the Library's holdings. In some cases, researchers may call ahead to have materials retrieved from the closed stacks before their arrival at the Library (e.g. if they are coming from outside the metropolitan Washington D.C. area, or if they have a large amount of material to be retrieved). More information on advance reserves is available online.
After materials are returned from use in the reading rooms, it takes up to one week before they are reshelved and ready for retrieval again. However, researchers may hold up to five books for seven days in the Reserve areas. Such areas are located in the Main Reading Room ; adjacent to the Book Service Desk on the fifth floor of the Adams Building; and in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room . Each three-day reserve slip must be completed with the researcher's name and the date of the first day of reserve. Other reading rooms may allow researchers to reserve materials for future use. For more information, consult the appropriate reading room home page .
Access to the closed stacks is not permitted under any circumstances, except to authorized Library staff. Only the reading room reference collections are on open shelves.
All of the Library's reading rooms have some restrictions as to what items a researcher may bring with them as a means of enhancing the security of the collections used therein; the Personal Belongings Restrictions web page provides general guidelines on personal property restrictions in all Library buildings as well information on slightly modified restrictions for the Adams building. However, because specific policies differ for the various reading rooms, researchers should consult the various reading room home pages for more details. Cloakrooms are provided on the ground floor of the Jefferson Building (LJ G08 and adjacent to the Visitors' Center) and the first floor of the Madison Building (LM 140). Some reading rooms also provide lockers for researchers to secure their belongings.
The Library subscribes to a large number of online subscription databases which offer indexes to journals, information on library holdings, and other resources in a wide range of subject areas. Workstations for searching these services are available in all of the Library's reading rooms. The Library also subscribes to a number of Internet-based databases and full-text journal services, which are searchable on any of the public Internet workstations in the Library's reading rooms. Patrons onsite using their personal laptops or other wireless-enabled devices to connect to the Library's wireless network are also able to access these services. The Library does not offer access to these services off-site, but they are widely available at public and academic libraries.
Some of the reading rooms have CD-ROM databases and other online subscription services, including titles served in the Microform and Machine Readable Collections Reading Room , full-text journals in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room , and Technical Report titles available through Science Reference Services. Science Reading Room database titles are all listed on the appropriate reading room home page. Other reading rooms may have their own CD-ROM and other database resources; consult the appropriate reading room home page for more information. Please note that these resources are available only on site.
The Library's reading rooms have differing policies regarding the photocopying of materials. Some reading rooms restrict self-service photocopying on certain categories of material, based on preservation and security policies. It is best to consult staff in the appropriate reading room for specific information on its photocopying policy. Self-service debit card-operated copiers are available to serve researchers in most reading rooms. Prices vary depending on the material to be copied and the machine to be used. To purchase a debit card for copying, a one-dollar bill may be required on some machines; value can be added to these cards with any denomination up to $22. To add value with a credit card or corporate check, researchers must visit the Duplication Services counter Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
The Library's Duplication Services can provide a wide range of reproductions of items from the Library's collections. The ability of the Library to furnish reproductions is subject to copyright law and certain other restrictions; however, every effort will be made to fulfill requests. Please provide specific citations (title, author, number of pages, and LC call number) for materials you wish copied. The Duplication Services is open 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. ET Monday through Friday. Further information about products, services, and prices can be obtained by contacting: Duplication Services Library of Congress, John Adams Building, Room LA-128 Washington, D.C. 20540-4917 Phone 202-707-5640 | Fax 202-707-1771 | Web Contact Form
While researchers may bring laptop computers into the Main Reading Room and some of the other public reading rooms, the Library does not provide computing facilities for word processing and other software applications. Computer workstations in the public reading rooms are for catalog, database, and Internet searching only.
The Library of Congress does not sell books from its collections. See your local librarian or a book dealer in your area to find information on how to purchase books; or consult an online database with information on purchasing books, such as Bookfinder.com . The Library does photocopy materials from its collections within copyright guidelines; see above under question "20" for more information on photocopying materials . The Library's sales shop sells Library of Congress publications and other items.
Information about ISBNs may be obtained from the R.R. Bowker Company, 630 Central Avenue, New Providence, NJ 07974. Tel: 877-310-7333 Fax: 908-665-2895. Information about ISSN numbers may be obtained from the National Serials Data Program, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540-4160. The telephone number is 202-707-6452. Recorded information is available at this telephone number 24 hours a day.
The Library of Congress does not provide individuals with information on the current market value of books. Such a search would require extensive examination of published sources, and the results would not necessarily indicate the price that the item in your possession would bring in the market. Standard reference sources on book prices, available in most large libraries, contain records of auction sales and may list pertinent transactions. See a reference librarian at your local library for assistance.
Many used and rare book dealers often provide valuation of books. Internet book databases such as Bookfinder.com also provide price information for used or rare books. More information on rare books and book values can be found on the " Your Old Books " website, maintained by the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
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The most commonly used citation styles are APA and MLA. The free Scribbr Citation Generator is the quickest way to cite sources in these styles. Simply enter the URL, DOI, or title, and we’ll generate an accurate, correctly formatted citation.
References in research are a list of sources that a researcher has consulted or cited while conducting their study. They are an essential component of any academic work, including research papers, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly publications.
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Search across a wide variety of disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions.
Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats Basic Rules Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper
Citation Generator: Automatically generate accurate references and in-text citations using Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator, MLA Citation Generator, Harvard Referencing Generator, and Chicago Citation Generator.
Scribbr’s free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations. This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020). Cite a webpage. Cite a book.
A citation identifies for the reader the original source for an idea, information, or image that is referred to in a work. In the body of a paper, the in-text citation acknowledges the source of information used. At the end of a paper, the citations are compiled on a References or Works Cited list.
Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher and writer. Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements (who, when, what, and where) with ease.
Why do researchers cite? Scholarship is a conversation and scholars use citations not only to give credit to original creators and thinkers, but also to add strength and authority to their own work. By citing their sources, scholars are placing their work in a specific context to show where they “fit” within the larger conversation.
Can I ask reference questions of the Library of Congress via email, letter, or telephone? Yes, the following provides guidance on our policy and ways to communicate with us. The Library of Congress encourages researchers to use local library resources first.