How to Cite a Source
Basics on the topic How to Cite a Source
How to Cite a Source in an Essay
If your teacher has asked you to cite your sources in a research paper or an essay with a bibliography, you may be wondering ”What is a source?” or ”How do I properly cite my sources”? In writing, sometimes facts, ideas, and information from other pieces of writing are used. They can come from printed media, such as a book or a newspaper. They can also come from digital media, such as a website or online news articles. If you use these facts, ideas and information for an essay or a research paper, they are your sources.
There are different ways of citing sources. Here you’ll learn one of the easiest ways of citing sources for elementary students.
Citing Sources from Books
When you use a book as a source, you need to give information about the book that will help other people find your source.
- Write the last name, then the first name of the author, followed by a period.
- Next, write the title of the book, followed by a period. Books have the title on the cover or on the title page. Your teacher may want you to underline the title or put it in italics.
- Find the publisher of the book. The publisher is the company that printed the book. You can find the publisher on the title page of a book, usually at the bottom. Write the name of the publisher after the title, with a period.
- Finally, write the year or date the book was published. This can also be found on the title page, near the publisher info. Put a period at the end.
Examples of book citations
- Mato, Tom. The History of Ketchup. Sauce Publishing. 2005.
- Dipper, Chip. Ten Delicious Snacks with Relish. Brown & Green Publishers. 2020.
- Ment, Connie. Food Toppings for the Whole Family. Fry & Co Publishing House. 2022.
Citing Sources from Newspapers
- Write the last name, then the first name of the author, followed by a period.
- Next, write the headline or name of the article** in quotation marks with a period inside the quotation marks.
- Write the name of the newspaper after the name of the article, with a period. Newspapers have their name on the front page and often at the top of every page. For a newspaper you don’t need to write the name of the publisher. Your teacher may want you to underline the name of the newspaper or put it in italics.
- Finally, write the date the newspaper was published, for example 12 March, 2022. Put a comma after the date, then the page number(s), for example p. 6 or pp. 8–12. Put a period at the end.
Examples of newspaper citations
- Wang, Cho. “Easy Sauce Recipes for Kids.” The Daily News. 12 February 2023, p. 16.
- Nade, Mary. “Truck Spills 10 Gallons of Sauce on Highway.” The Daily News. 1 November 2024, p. 18.
How to Cite Internet Sources
When you cite a source from the internet, you need to give information about the website that will help other people find your source.
The rules for citing internet sources (also called online sources) or other digital sources are similar to those for citing print sources.
- First, write the author's name, with a period. On website articles, this can usually be found under the title of the article, or at the end.
- Then write the title of the article in quotation marks. On website articles, this is usually in big font at the top of the page.
- After that comes the name of the publisher. With website articles, this is usually the website name. Put a period after it.
- Finally, write the date the article was published, followed by a period.
- Your teacher may also want a link to the website and the date you accessed it. You can give those at the end of the citation.
Examples of internet citations
- Naze, Maya. “Mayonnaise Facts for Days.” The Daily Sauce. 12 September 2018. www.example.com/mayonnaisefactsfordays. Accessed 14 May 2023.
- Lade, Marlon. “Jam Up Your Summer.” Best Jams and Sauces. October 2022. www.example.com/jamupyoursummer. Accessed 14 May 2023.
How to Make a Bibliography
Now that you have collected your sources and written the citations, you may be asking yourself “What is a bibliography?” and ”How do I write a bibliography?” When sources are used, we make a list of them at the end of our writing, in something called a bibliography or a bibliography page. We use alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. Put the bibliography on a new page and write Bibliography or Works Cited centered at the top of the page. Write each bibliography entry on a new line, with spaces between the entries. You can use a similar format to make a bibliography for a website.
Below is an example of a bibliography:
- Dipper, Chip. Ten Delicious Snacks with Relish. Brown & Green Publishers. 2020.
- Lade, Marlon. “Jam Up Your Summer.” Best Jams and Sauces. October 2022. www.example.com/jamupyoursummer. Accessed 14 May 2023.
- Mato, Tom. The History of Ketchup. Sauce Publishing. 2005.
- Ment, Connie. Food toppings the Whole Family. Fry & Co Publishing House. 2022.
- Nade, Mary. “Truck Spills 10 Gallons of Sauce on Highway.” The Daily News. 1 November 2024, p. 18.
- Naze, Maya. “Mayonnaise Facts for Days.” The Daily Sauce. 12 September 2018. www.example.com/mayonnaisefactsfordays. Accessed 14 May 2023.
- Wang, Cho. “Easy Sauce Recipes for Kids.” The Daily News. 12 February 2023, p. 16.
Citing Sources in a Bibliography – Summary
The table below shows the types of sources in the bibliography and the different ways to cite them.
| Type of Source | How to cite them |
|---|---|
| books | Dipper, Chip. Ten Delicious Snacks with Relish. Brown & Green Publishers. 2020. Mato, Tom. The History of Ketchup. Sauce Publishing. 2005. Ment, Connie. Food toppings the Whole Family. Fry & Co Publishing House. 2022. |
| newspaper articles | Nade, Mary. “Truck Spills 10 Gallons of Sauce on Highway.” The Daily News. 1 November 2024, p. 18. Wang, Cho. “Easy Sauce Recipes for Kids.” The Daily News. 12 February 2023, p. 16. |
| internet sources | Lade, Marlon. “Jam Up Your Summer.” Best Jams and Sauces. October 2022. www.example.com/jamupyoursummer. Accessed 14 May 2023. Naze, Maya. “Mayonnaise Facts for Days.” The Daily Sauce. 12 September 2018. www.example.com/mayonnaisefactsfordays. Accessed 14 May 2023. |
Visit our interactive exercises, printable worksheets and other activities on how to cite a source after watching the video!
Frequently Asked Questions on the Topic How to Cite a Source
Transcript How to Cite a Source
"Wait, Ernie, you forgot your source!” "I have my sauce, thank you very much, Jane.” “I said source, Ernie, not sauce!” Let’s join in as Jane teaches Ernie how to cite a source. In writing, sometimes facts, ideas, and information from other pieces of writing are used. They can come from printed media, such as a book or a newspaper. They can also come from digital media, such as a website or online news articles. We call these sources. If you use information that other people wrote, but do not mention where you got the information from this is called plagiarism, which is a big no no. When sources are used, we make a list of them at the end of our writing, in something called a bibliography. A bibliography is where we list our sources, in alphabetical order. But how can we correctly write our sources for the bibliography? Let's practice with this book! When citing sources, first, start with the author's name. Books usually have the author's name on the cover, or on the title page. This book has the author here on the cover, so write the last name, then the first name, Mato, Tom, with a period after. Next, write the title of the book or article. Books usually have the title on the cover or on the title page. This book is called 'The History of Ketchup', so write it after the authors name, with a period after. Next, if it is included, write the publisher, which a company which prints books or magazines. You can find the publisher on the title page of a book, usually at the bottom. This book is published by Sauce Publishing, so write it after the title, with a period. Finally, write the year or date the source was published, or released. In a book, this can also be found on the title page, near the publisher info. This book was published in two thousand and five, so write it at the end, with a final period! Let's take a look at a digital source, such as an article from a news website! What is the first step? First, write the author's name, with a period. On website articles, this can usually be found under the title of the article, or at the end. Here, the author is Maya Naze, so write the last name, then first name. What comes after the authors name? The title of the article! On website articles, this is usually in big font at the top of the page, like this. Write it after the author's name. What comes after the title? The publisher! With website articles, this is usually the website name. Here is the website name, so write it after the title. What comes after the publisher? The date or year the article was published. Website articles usually have specific dates, like this, so write it at the end. Jane and Ernie have finished their sources list. Now we need them in alphabetical order in a bibliography like this! While Ernie and Jane publish the final piece, let's review. Remember, when you use information from print or digital media, you should make a bibliography of your sources. Print media usually has a title page at the beginning of the book with all the information needed on it. Digital media usually has all the information on the web page you are viewing. To cite sources, first, write the author's name. Next, write the title of the book or article. Then, write the name of the publisher. Finally, write the year or date of publication. “Oh come here, I'll do it for you!” "Well, Jane. You've got your sauce now!"
How to Cite a Source exercise
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How to cite a source.
HintsLook at this cited source. What order does the information come in?
What comes before the title when citing a source?
SolutionWhen citing information for printed media:
First,
- cite the author's name.
- cite the title of the book or article.
- cite the publisher.
- write the year or date the source was published.
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Complete the missing information.
HintsWhen you cite a digital source, first cite the author's name, then the title of the article, followed by the publisher or website.
The publishing date is always cited for both printed and digital media.
SolutionErnie must include the following information when he cites his digital source.
Author's name: Naze, Maya.
Title: Mayonnaise Facts for Days.
Publisher or website: The Daily Sauce.
Date published: September 12, 2018 -
Define the terms.
HintsA bibiliography shows where the author got their information from.
You should always mention the author when you use their writing, otherwise you are plagiarising.
In order for an author to get their information out in the world, they need a publisher to print or post it.
Solution- Plagiarism is using information that other people wrote, without mentioning where it came from.
- Sources are facts, ideas, and information from writing that is used to create new writing.
- A publisher is the company or person that prints a book or article, or posts written information online.
- A bibliography is a list of sources at the end of a piece of writing, showing where the information came from.
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Label the citation information.
HintsThis source is digital, not printed.
A title is the name of a piece of writing. A website is like an address used to find information on the internet.
SolutionWhen citing a digital source, first
- write the author's name
- the title.
- write the publisher or website.
- write the date published.
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Identify source material for writing.
HintsInformation used for writing from both printed and digital media can be referenced in a bibliography.
Only one choice is incorrect.
SolutionPrinted media, such as a book or newspaper - as well as digital media, such as an online news article - can all be used as sources for new writing! A cereal box is not a good source for writing, as it does not have much information to use. A cereal box also has no author, publisher, or publishing date.
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Identify the different aspects of a printed source.
HintsWhen you cite the author of a source, remember to list the last or family name first, and the first name second.
Remember to include the name of the publisher after the title.
Always remember to use capital letters for names and titles.
Use this example to remind you what to include in your citation.
SolutionErnie's bibliography should list the printed source as follows
Mato,Tom.
The History of Ketchup. Sauce Publishing.
2005.
