A citation is a record of the essential elements of an article, book, or other source that let the user locate it.
The citation typically follows a professional style, such as APA, MLA, or others. Each style has two methods of citing:
“I do not like them, Sam-I-am” (Seuss, 1960, p. 4)
Seuss, D. (1960). Green eggs and ham. New York: Beginner Books.
It is critical to provide citations for ALL sources referred to in your research in order to give proper credit to the source and help others understand where your ideas came from. Failure to cite sources or to cite them incompletely is plagiarism. Use the materials provided in this guide for more complete information.
Examples of Citation Style
Citation Managers
Citation managers are software programs that help organize and insert citations easily into your paper. USM provides support and training for Zotero, a free citation management tool.
Citation Styles
AMA Manual of Style, 11th ed. (E-book) by 
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Ed (book) by 
MLA Handbook, 9th Ed. by
The official MLA Handbook is published by Modern Language Association. Copies are available at all USM Libraries for use in the Library.
The 9th edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. etc.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th ed. (book) by