There’s more to writing a research paper than just finding a topic, doing in-depth research, creating an outline, and using the format to put words down on a digital paper. You also have to cite your sources correctly in APA, MLA, ASA or Chicago format.
By citing your research paper, you demonstrate that you recognize the literary pieces of information used in your assignment. Also, it clearly indicates the references used so your instructor can have a closer look at your research process if they ever want to.
In this lesson, we’ll teach you the right way to cite your research paper so that you don’t miss the most important marks for the citation.
How to Cite a Research Paper
Our goal with this guide is to make sure you have a complete and comprehensive resource that teaches you how to cite a research paper in format.
To do that, we’ve divided the guide into section, each with a different type of citation for the paper.
Whether you want to know how to cite in APA, MLA, ASA, Chicago or all the formats, you’ll find this guide quite resourceful.
ASA Research Paper Format
Created by the American Sociological Association, and used by scholars, academics, and students, the ASA citation is for sociology research papers and articles submitted to the ASA journals.
ASA is similar to the APA citation style in the sense that they both use parenthetical references in a research paper’s reference section.
A unique attribute of the ASA citation is a strong emphasis on the date of the work cited preceding the author’s name.
The ASA guide recommends that you stick to the following format when writing your research paper in the ASA style:
- Each side of every page should have a margin of 1 ¼ inches
- Number pages, endnotes, tables, figures, and footnotes sequentially
- All texts, including footnotes, should have a font size of 12 points and be double-spaced.
- Include an abstract if necessary. Make sure it has a title and it should be not more than 200 words long
- Your research paper must have a separate title page featuring the title of the paper, title footnote, the names of all authors, and the word count
Citing Your Research Paper Sources in ASA Format
The screenshot below shows you how to cite your research paper in the ASA format. We recommend that you look at it keenly or download it for future reference.
There are a few rules that you have to observe when writing your research paper in the ASA format.
You should:
- Never use first person in your research paper unless instructed to do so.
- In case a text requires you to use an acronym, first right the acronym in full and then stick to the acronym hereafter.
- Write your research paper in active voice and avoid common expression, jargon, and slang.
- Unless they appear as data in graphs or tables, you should write words such as “versus” and “percent” in full.
- Research papers require heavy referencing, so you should do the best you can to avoid giving opinions. Opinions are good for argumentative essays.
MLA Research Paper Format
Developed by the Modern Language Association, the MLA citation is common in arts and humanities and provides a process of documentation rather than a set of rules that a writer (student) has to follow.
The MLA writing style requires you to observe the following rules when writing your research paper:
- Use the Times New Roman and the size of the font should be 12 points.
- Your work should be double-spaces
- Every page of your research paper should have a 1-inch margin on all side
- You should insert a page number and your last name on the upper right corner of the first page
Citing Your Research Paper in MLA Format
The screenshot below shows you exactly how you should cite your research paper in the MLA format.
Chicago Research Paper Format
The Chicago writing and citation style requires you to cite sources in either footnotes or endnotes.
Commonly used in writing research papers related to humanities, you can use this citation style to demonstrate accountability and credibility of the related literature in your writing.
There are a few rules you need to observe to write and cite your research paper in the Chicago style:
- The preferred fonts for the paper are Times New Roman or Courier
- The writings should be clear and easy to read. Therefore, font size should not be less than 10 points. As a general rule, your text should be 12 points
- Expect for block quotes, notes, figure captions, references entries, table titles, and bibliographies, double-space everything else.
- Page margin should be at least an inch
- Don’t put spaces between paragraphs
- Your footnotes should be on paraphrased passages
- Place page number at the top right corner of each page expect for the title page
Citing Your Research Paper in Chicago Format
The following screenshot shows the right way to cite your research paper in the Chicago format based on different sources:
APA Research Paper Format
The American Psychological Association (APA) format is suitable mostly for research papers related to social sciences and psychology.
Like the other format and citation styles we’ve looked at in this guide, the APA format requires that you observe a few formatting rules as you write your research paper.
With APA, you should:
- Use standard-sized paper with a margin on all sides
- Your writing should be clear and easy to read. Use Times New Roman font with a size of 12 points
- Every page must have a page header, which should not exceed 50 characters
Citing Your Research Paper in APA Format
Below is a screenshot that shows you exactly how to cite your research paper in the APA style.
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