Citation in academic writing, are essential for giving credit to the original authors whose work supports your research. Citing your sources properly not only strengthens your credibility but also helps readers locate the materials you’ve used.
There are several recognized citation styles, and the choice often depends on the academic discipline. Whether you’re writing a research paper in agriculture, veterinary science, humanities, or psychology, understanding the right citation style is key to producing professional and plagiarism-free work.
a) MLA citation:
– MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used by the Humanities.
– MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author’s last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page.
Tool Recommendation:
Use Bibliography.com’s MLA Format Citation Generator to automatically create MLA citations for your assignments.
 b) APA citation:
-APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, and Sciences.
– APA in-text citation style uses the author’s last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14).
Tool Recommendation:
Use the Citation Machine® APA Generator to create error-free APA citations quickly.
c) Chicago notes and bibliography:
-Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts.
– A Chicago style bibliography lists the sources cited in your text.
– Each bibliography entry begins with the author’s name and the title of the source, followed by relevant publication details.
– The bibliography is alphabetized by authors’ last names.
Example (Footnote):
John Poudel, Economic History of Agriculture in Nepal (Pokhara: Himalayan Books, 2020), 45.
Sample Bibliography Entry:
Poudel, John. Economic History of Agriculture in Nepal. Pokhara: Himalayan Books, 2020.
d) Chicago author-date:
– In author-date style, an in-text citation consists of the author’s name, the publication year, and (if relevant) a page number.
– Each citation must correspond to an entry in the reference list at the end of your paper, where you give full details of the source.
Sample Reference List Entry:
Koirala, Suman. 2018. Advances in Veterinary Public Health. Kathmandu Academic Press.
Final Thoughts !!
Choosing the right citation style ensures academic integrity and uniformity across research disciplines. While APA and Chicago (Author-Date) are widely used in scientific and agricultural research, MLA remains the go-to format for humanities.
To simplify the process, you can use reference management tools such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote — all of which can generate citations in multiple formats and automatically build your bibliography.
By mastering citation styles, you not only avoid plagiarism but also present your research in a professional and credible way ; an essential skill for every agriculture and veterinary scholar.
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