Hints For Your Research Paper: In Text Citations
Previously, just listing all sources used on a research paper at the end of the paper was the solution. But when you do so, there is a problem because no one will be able to locate the exact source where the information was retrieved from. Therefore the concept of research paper in-text citation came into practice. The main reason behind using research paper in-text citation is to let a reader verify every bit of information that has been written on the research paper.
As a research paper writer, your responsibility is to make sure that the research paper is trustworthy and credible. In other words, you need to allow your readers to verify what’s written on the paper; and in-text citation makes it easier. Basically in-text citation is used when you paraphrase or quote someone’s work. The in-text citation is positioned subsequent to the information that is cited on the research paper. The in-text citation consists of the author’s surname which is followed by the year of publication of the source that is being cited. In case if you have used direct quotes in your research paper, you should also include the page number. The format of in-text citation depends on the type of style you use. You need to consult with your academic institution or your department before following a certain format. The in-text citation is presented between parentheses. In some instances, in-text citations are also signified by a superscript number. The superscript number has a correspondence number in the bibliography section.
Basically there are two worldwide accepted formats for in-text citation. They are MLA and APA styles. They look similar in terms of in-text citation. They both start with a parenthesis at the end of a sentence or a paragraph followed by the surname of the author, year of publication and page number in some instances. They are known as in-text citations because they are inserted in between the texts of the research paper.
Quick Guide for In-text citation:
- Start a parentheses
- Write the author’s last name
- State the publication year.
- Make sure to state page numbers if you use direct quote.
- Add punctuation only after parenthesis.
- For quotes longer than forty words, start a new line and write it in block text when an indent of one inch.
Placement of citation depends on the emphasis you want to give. For example,
- Acharya (2016) writes that…
- Here is a useful link (Acharya, 2016).
The main difference between APA and MLA is in bibliography. Besides, they also have difference in the margins of a page, structure, and formatting. In-text citations show a reader where the information was extracted from. This helps to make a clear picture of the description on a reader’s mind. To avoid plagiarism, it is advised that a research paper writer has to cite all ideas.
