Researchers are required to cite all external sources (e.g., books, research papers, reports) used for writing a research paper, report, or thesis. Each source is cited in two places:

• In-text citation: It is a short citation given within the text inside the body of the research paper, report, or thesis, typically immediately after the information or idea taken from an external source. It identifies the author and year (APA) or author and page number (MLA), allowing readers to locate the full reference.
• References List/Bibliography: It is a list of all references given at the end of the research paper, report, or thesis. It provides full publication details so readers can retrieve the original sources for further reading.

The two widely accepted styles for citation and references are as follows:

1. APA Style (American Psychological Association) – mostly used in Psychology, Education, Sociology, and other social sciences.
2. MLA Style (Modern Language Association) – mostly used in Humanities.

Both the above styles have slightly different formats, but both use the following information for writing references:

• Name of Author
• Title of book/report/article/publication
• Year of Publication
• Place of Publication
• Name of Publisher
• Page Number
• Edition Number

The following are the formats for citing different types of sources, such as books, journal articles, websites, government reports, interviews, encyclopedias, dictionaries, online videos, conference papers, theses/dissertations, newspapers/magazines, social media posts, software/datasets, and films/TV shows/documentaries, according to the latest editions of APA (7th Edition) and MLA (9th Edition) styles.

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
One author	Burton, J. (1990). Conflict - Human needs theory. Macmillan. With page: (pp. 43–47) With edition: (pp. 43–47, 3rd ed.)	(Burton, 1990)	Burton, John. Conflict - Human Needs Theory. 3rd ed., Macmillan, 1990, pp. 43–47.	(Burton 43)
Two authors	Hobson, A., & Clarke, J. (1997). The Power of Passion. Everests Inc.	(Hobson & Clarke, 1997)	Hobson, Allan, and Jammie Clarke. The Power of Passion. Everests Inc, 1997.	(Hobson and Clarke 22)
Three authors	Maltby, J., Day, L., & Macaskill, A. (2013). Personality, individual differences, and intelligence. Longman. or (Maltby et al., 2013)	(Maltby, Day, & Macaskill, 2013)	Maltby, J., L. Day, and Ann Macaskill. Personality, Individual Differences and Intelligence. Longman, 2013.	(Maltby, Day, and Macaskill 55)
More than three authors	Arrow, K., Mnookin, R., Ross, L., Tversky, A., & Wilson, R. (1995). Barriers to conflict resolution. Norton. or (Arrow et al., 1995)	(Arrow et al., 1995)	Arrow, Kenneth, et al. Barriers to Conflict Resolution. Norton, 1995.	(Arrow et al. 120)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Print	Pearlstein, B. (2007). Dispute resolution through private alternatives. Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, 22(3), 741–755.	(Pearlstein, 2007)	Pearlstein, B. “Dispute Resolution Through Private Alternatives.” Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, vol. 22, no. 3, 2007, pp. 741–755.	(Pearlstein 741)
Online	Pearlstein, B. (2007). Dispute resolution through private alternatives. Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, 22(3), 741–755. https://hdl.handle.net/1811/77133	(Pearlstein, 2007)	Pearlstein, B. “Dispute Resolution Through Private Alternatives.” Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, vol. 22, no. 3, 2007, pp. 741–755. OSO.edu. Accessed 14 Apr. 2017.	(Pearlstein 741)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
David, J. (2017, March 23). Psychological theory of personality. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_theory	(David, 2017)	David, John. “Psychological Theory of Personality.” Wikipedia, 23 Mar. 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_theory. Accessed 14 Apr. 2017.	(David)
No author: Psychological theory of personality. (2017, March 23). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_theory	(Psychological Theory of Personality, 2017)	“Psychological Theory of Personality.” Wikipedia, 23 Mar. 2017. Accessed 14 Apr. 2017.	(“Psychological Theory of Personality”)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Master’s thesis	Lee, M. (2020). The impact of social media on adolescent mental health (Master’s thesis, University of California). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.	(Lee, 2020)	Lee, Michelle. The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health. MA thesis, University of California, 2020.	(Lee 33)
Doctoral dissertation	Chen, L. (2018). Machine learning applications in healthcare (Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.	(Chen, 2018)	Chen, Li. Machine Learning Applications in Healthcare. PhD dissertation, Harvard University, 2018.	(Chen 102)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Newspaper (print)	Johnson, R. (2021, March 15). Climate change policies in 2021. The New York Times, p. A3.	(Johnson, 2021)	Johnson, Rebecca. “Climate Change Policies in 2021.” The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2021, p. A3.	(Johnson A3)
Newspaper (online)	Johnson, R. (2021, March 15). Climate change policies in 2021. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/climate-policies	(Johnson, 2021)	Johnson, Rebecca. “Climate Change Policies in 2021.” The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/climate-policies. Accessed 5 Apr. 2023.	(Johnson)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
World Health Organization. (2014). Global status report on non-communicable diseases. WHO Press.	(World Health Organization, 2014)	World Health Organization. Global Status Report on Non-communicable Diseases. WHO Press, 2014.	(World Health Organization 2014)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
David, J. (2017, May 13). Personal communication.	(David, personal communication, May 13, 2017)	David, J. Personal Communication. 13 May 2017.	(David, Personal Communication 13 May 2017)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
John, H. (2009). The Encyclopedia of Zoology. Dogars Press.	(John, 2009)	John, H. The Encyclopedia of Zoology. Dogars Press, 2009.	(John)
Article: John, H. (2009). Food chain. In The Encyclopedia of Zoology. Dogars Press.	(John, 2009)	John, H. “Food Chain.” In The Encyclopedia of Zoology. Dogars Press, 2009.	(John)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. (2005). Oxford University Press.	(Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 2005)	Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2005.	(Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
Term: Metamorphosis. (2005). In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/metamorphosis	(Metamorphosis, 2005)	Term: “Metamorphosis.” In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Web. 14 Apr. 2017.	(“Metamorphosis”)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Hersh, D. (2013, December 5). Alternate dispute resolution [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IfPqPIPSmI	(Hersh, 2013)	Hersh, David. “Alternate Dispute Resolution.” YouTube, 5 Dec. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IfPqPIPSmI. Accessed 15 May 2017.	(Hersh)

APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Smith, J. (2019). Advances in renewable energy technologies. In P. Johnson (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Energy (pp. 45–52). Springer.	(Smith, 2019)	Smith, John. “Advances in Renewable Energy Technologies.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Energy, edited by P. Johnson, Springer, 2019, pp. 45–52.	(Smith 45)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Conference paper	Smith, J. (2019). Advances in renewable energy technologies. In P. Johnson (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Energy (pp. 45–52). Springer.	(Smith, 2019)	Smith, John. “Advances in Renewable Energy Technologies.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Energy, edited by P. Johnson, Springer, 2019, pp. 45–52.	(Smith 45)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Podcast episode	Carter, A. (Host). (2020, July 10). The future of AI in daily life [Audio podcast episode]. In Tech Talk Today. Spotify. https://spotify.com/techtalk/ai	(Carter, 2020)	Carter, Alice, host. “The Future of AI in Daily Life.” Tech Talk Today, 10 July 2020. Spotify, https://spotify.com/techtalk/ai.	(Carter)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Tweet	Elon Musk [@elonmusk]. (2022, March 1). Excited about the new Mars project! [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1234567890	(Musk, 2022)	Musk, Elon. “Excited about the new Mars project!” Twitter, 1 Mar. 2022, https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1234567890.	(Musk)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Software	Microsoft Corporation. (2019). Microsoft Excel (Version 16.0) [Computer software]. https://www.microsoft.com	(Microsoft Corporation, 2019)	Microsoft Excel. Version 16.0, Microsoft Corporation, 2019, https://www.microsoft.com.	(Microsoft Corporation)
Dataset	World Bank. (2021). World development indicators 2021 [Data set]. https://data.worldbank.org	(World Bank, 2021)	World Bank. World Development Indicators 2021. World Bank, 2021, https://data.worldbank.org.	(World Bank)

Type	APA Reference	APA In-text	MLA Reference	MLA In-text
Film	Spielberg, S. (Director). (1993). Jurassic Park [Film]. Universal Pictures.	(Spielberg, 1993)	Jurassic Park. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Universal Pictures, 1993.	(Spielberg)
TV Episode	Gilligan, V. (Writer & Director). (2008). Pilot [TV series episode]. In Breaking Bad. AMC.	(Gilligan, 2008)	Gilligan, Vince. “Pilot.” Breaking Bad, AMC, 2008.	(Gilligan)
Documentary	Attenborough, D. (Director). (2009). Planet Earth [Documentary]. BBC.	(Attenborough, 2009)	Planet Earth. Directed by David Attenborough, BBC, 2009.	(Attenborough)