Appropriate Citation Styles and Techniques

A research paper citation indicates the resources used for referencing the research paper. Research paper citation depends on the style sheet instructions by the college, university or your professor.

The two most commonly used research paper citations are the APA and MLA citations styles. Research paper citation refers to the use of in-text citation used in the body of the research paper, which can be in APA or MLA style.

Research paper citation does not mean the ‘References’, ‘bibliography’ or works cited page listed at the end of a research paper. In order for a research paper to be complete, it should have research paper citations as well as all the listed sources and references at the end of the research paper.

APA style Research Paper Citation

An APA style research paper citation is the parenthetical note after a sentence to indicate the reference or resource used. The citation includes the last name of the author and the year if publication of the research.

In cases where some text has been quoted, the citation should also include the number of the page from where the quotation has been referenced. A common APA style research paper citation example is (Philips, 2009). However, in case a quotation has been included, you should include the page number along with the year of publication; for instance, (Philips, 2009, p. 32).

MLA style Research Paper Citation

An MLA style research paper citation is similar to APA style and is included in parenthetical form. However, in MLA style, the last name of the author is listed, but the year of publication is not listed. MLA citation style includes the last name of the author and the page number from where the reference has been made. An example of MLA citation style is (Philips, 32), indicating the last name of the author and the page number of the publication.