How to cite a research paper

Academic writing is deemed to be one of the tasks of major struggle because there are multiple steps to be followed of reaching the goal of a perfect research paper and the big hurdle is how to cite a research paper. Some basic types, i.e., thesis, essays and dissertations all are to be completed following any of the citation format. When it comes to writing a research paper, the only thing that comes to mind is what is a research paper and how a research paper can be distinguished from other casual write-ups. No doubt writing everything in this world requires research but there are some basic steps of writing and citing a research paper.

What is a research paper?

A research paper is defined as a full-fledge write-up, that is developed on different resources. These resources should all be retrieved from some credible platforms such as databases and google scholar. Almost half population of the student is good at researching material so that they can write something on the given topic. The difference between a research paper and a casual paper is the underlying credibility. A simple understanding of credibility can be defined in terms of resources that are consulted and cited. From professors’ perspective the more there will be the number of resources, the greater will be the chances of securing good marks. So, what differentiates a research paper from a casual paper is 'citations and references’.

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What are citations and References?

Citation is precisely defined as locating or assigning a source. It is one of the most common, yet important tricks and techniques to be mastered when someone is willing to write a scholarly research paper and don’t know how to cite a research paper. In the same way, referencing is another word for citation and it is used to list down all the materials that are ever consulted or used for the completion of the assigned task. Collectively, citations are precise while references are detailed.

Citing A Research Paper

Citing a research paper will require you to keep a strong check on the sources that you are using. Some common techniques help you to accurately and perfectly cite your paper.

Shortlist the resources

This technique will require you to list all the resources that you have planned to use. One of the best strategies is to download all the resources in pdf version so that there is no stress of internet connection, or misplacing the sources.

Alongside referencing

The second and important technique about how to cite a research paper is to make sure that you are citing all the resources alongside. It will require you to keep a strong check on all the resources that you are using and you have to add side by side citations. This task can be facilitated by taking help from the sticky notes or the notebook that you are using to maintain a record of which reference is being used.

Counterchecking

The next step is to countercheck all the resources that you have utilized. This will require you to make sure that there is no repetition of the references, and the correct resource is cited. Although it is a bit tiring task, but it is very helpful in understanding the requirements of the paper. It is one of the best opportunities to secure good grades because none of the assessors would like to read the text from one source all along with the paper. Consulting different resources will only be possible when you will have access to all the resources equally and simultaneously.

Following these techniques, you will have a lot of references that are being used. Although it is proudly suggested that a researcher or essay writer should read the source thoroughly before citing the paper, it is equally important to know that one cannot spend a lot of time, completing the research paper that is hardly of 100 marks when the world is planning to reach other heights of success. It is one of the reasons that there are our essay writers who can help to have the best content in the least of times. Meanwhile, you can have other tasks done.

Types of referencing

The type or style of reference varies with the requirements of the paper as well as the institution in which individual studies. Usually, there are students who are asked to use a reference style that is a standard format, such as APA, also known as the American Psychological Association. This specific type or style of referencing is restricted for social science, then, MLA known as Modern Language Association is used for Humanities and other language-associated subjects. The technical subjects are usually completed with Harvard referencing. Besides, there are some universities in which the set formatting pattern is used for every type of research paper e.g., Chicago or Turabian.

Quick Hacks about how to Cite a research paper

Knowing that a research paper is all about citations, it is crucial to understand how to cite because of two major reasons. Firstly, a citation is a part of the grading scheme and then, there are a lot of instructions in which uncited work is treated as copied or with copyright claims that can affect the grade and even position of a student in the university. In general, a simple anthology that applies to citation is the inclusion of the last name of the author with that of the year of publication. It can help to understand when the original content is written and what is the number of authors who have written the content. Diving into the specific details of citing a research paper, there are changes in the formatting and the features of content to be cited. It would not be wrong to say that there is a need of addressing the citation requirements as per the set demand. The details can be followed up in the following headings.

How to cite a research paper in APA Format

It is one of the most commonly used formatting styles. The paper should be 1’’ margins from all four sides and the standard size should be (8.5’’ x 11’’). Usually, 12 Times New Roman is preferred which can also be shifted to Arial. It should accompany header with subject and the page number. It requires only citing the author’s name with the date of publication. In case, an individual has copied something directly, or a quotation is incorporated., one should also add the page number. A simple example will be (author, 2020), while in the case of adding a direct quotation, the citation will be (author, 2020, pg. 4). Usually, professors prefer adding the lead on citations also, because it can facilitate maintaining a flow in the work. An example of lead-on citation will. Author (2020) in his work highlighted……...

Example

Book: Last name, first name, title, publisher, year of publication.
Magazine: Last name, first name, title, publisher, month and year of publication.
Website: Last name, first name, title, link to the website
Newspaper: Last name, first name, title, publisher i.e., name of newspaper, year of publication.
It is all you needed to know about APA formatting.

How To cite a research paper in MLA Format

It is the second commonly used referencing style. This reference type is preferred mostly for paper that is related to language writing or dealing with the arts or the humanities subjects. It is a simple form of APA which requires only mentioning the author’s name with the page number. The paper should be 1’’ margins from all four sides and the standard size should be (8.5’’ x 11’’). Usually, 12 Times New Roman is preferred which can also be shifted to Arial. It should accompany header with subject and the page number, if it is available. In most cases, the page number is not available so the citation is added as: (Author).

In case, a page number is available, the citation will appear as, (Author, 5). The anthology of lead on the citation will follow the same pattern as that of APA. So, the work will be cited as Author in his research found that…...

Example

Book: Last name, first name, ‘’title’’, publisher, year of publication and page number.
Magazine: Last name, first name, ‘’title’’, publisher, month and year of publication.
Website: Last name, first name, ’title’’, link to the website
Newspaper: Last name, first name, ‘title’’, publisher i.e., name of newspaper, year of publication and page number.

How to cite a research paper in Harvard Format

In the United Kingdom, Harvard is considered as the set format for citations in some of the institutions. Although other formats are used but this format is of major significance. The basic understanding of this citation style requires adding the name of the author, year of publication, and then the page number. It is crucial to understand that the citation style followed the mix of both, APA and MLA. The paper should be 1’’ margins from all four sides and the standard size should be (8.5’’ x 11’’). Usually, 12 Times New Roman is preferred which can also be shifted to Arial. It should accompany header with subject and the page number. it is important to cite the page number because it helps the professor assess the original content and ensure the credibility of the work. when it comes to adding a lead on citation, there is no need of adding an age number, rather it will be the closing of the quotations. So, an example of lead on citation will be. Author (2020) in his work highlighted that ………………. (5).

Example

Book: Last name, first name, title, publisher, year of publication. Magazine: Last name, first name, title, publisher, month and year of publication.
Website: Last name, first name, title, link to the website
Newspaper: Last name, first name, title, publisher i.e., name of newspaper, year of publication.

Winding up...

These three are the commonly used and the commonly cited formatting styles used in a research paper or in other words this is the solution of a problem that how to cite a research paper. There are several other styles also that are used and recommended keeping in view the specifications of the paper. A few of them are, Chicago, Turabian, AMA, and OSCOLA that stands for the Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities. All these referencing styles can define the credibility of the work as well as the ability of the research paper writer to assert how well a task is accomplished.

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