Basic Citation Questions

As a Peer Reference Assistant, we don't expect you to be an expert in citation styles. However, you should know where to find information so you can provide your peers with some basic assistance if you're asked.

The librarians here at Penfield have put together a research guide on citing sources, available here: Citing Sources Research Guide.  

Please familiarize yourself with the basics of citing sources. In addition to making you better at your job as a Peer Reference Assistant, it will help you with your own assignments as well!

The Most Common Citation Styles

APA - The APA style of citation building was developed by the American Psychological Association and is commonly used in the disciplines of education, business, and the social and behavioral sciences.

Chicago - The Chicago style of citation is widely used in the publishing industry and most commonly used for citing sources for history courses at SUNY Oswego.  Note that there are two variations of Chicago style: "Notes & Bibliography" and "Author-Date." If a student isn't sure which to use, they should check to see if their professor has a preference.

MLA - The MLA style of citation building was developed by the Modern Language Association and is commonly used in the humanities.

Purdue OWL

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) has some excellent Research and Citation Resources, with specific information on APA, MLA, Chicago, and AMA styles.

They also have sample papers in each style, which can be very useful.

Citation Managers