Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More

by Charles Lipson

Thousands of students have turned to veteran teacher Charles Lipson for no-nonsense advice on how to cite sources properly—and avoid plagiarism—when writing their research papers. This new edition of Cite Right, the popular overview of all major systems of citation, has been updated to reflect the most current versions of Chicago, MLA, APA, and other styles, and to discuss citation methods in the rapidly changing context of the Internet, digital publishing, and e-books. Best of all, it’s very easy to use.

Lipson first explains why it is so important to use citations—and to present them accurately—in research writing. He then outlines the main citation styles students and researchers are likely to encounter in their academic work: Chicago; MLA; APA; AAA (anthropology and ethnography); CSE (biological sciences); AMA (medical sciences); ACS (chemistry); physics, astrophysics, and astronomy; and mathematics, computer science, and engineering. New sections have been added on IEEE and ASCE styles, often used in engineering. Each style is presented simply and clearly with examples drawn from a wide range of source types crossing all disciplines, from the arts and humanities to the sciences and medicine. The second edition has also been updated to include a discussion of the merits and pitfalls of citation software, as well as new examples showing proper citation style for video blogs, instant messages, social networking sites, and other forms of digital media.

Based on deep experience in the academic trenches, this thoroughly revised edition is intended to appeal to anyone—student, professional, or academic—who needs an efficient, authoritative guide for citing sources across a wide range of disciplines.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Textbooks

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2006

Reviews

[Kevin Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty good. Clearly explains with several examples how to properly cite source material.

[Nostalgia Reader]

Excellent resource, especially for students who have to use multiple citation styles. In-depth look at Chicago, MLA, and APA, as well as lesser known styles, like AAA, AMA, and those for math and science. It does not make any mention of Blue Book style, which is a tad unfortunate, but most people using that style will probably already have the Blue Book manual.

For Chicago style, it provides an example of a first note, short note, and bibliographic entry, which is incredibly helpful. MLA and APA, as well as Chicago, cover standard resources, as well as more obscure ones, like sheet music, blog entries, and advertisements. Multiple examples of one type of citation are given as well, making it easy to see what you can leave out, or how to format a citation if certain information doesn't exist.

Highly recommended, especially if you use a lot of odd and obscure types of sources like I do.

[Danielle Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful when writing a paper in APA format.

[Kemlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I refer to this text frequently. Great quick reference for adapting citations to whatever style is required.

[Richard Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, handy source for the writer. Clearcut information for citing research. I refer to it often.

[Cathy Craig]

I'll rate it after I get my grades back...