Academic Referencing Styles
Academic Referencing and citations
An academic paper or manuscript makes no sense if you don’t have the knowledge of the various academic referencing styles. These are important because referencing is a crucial aspect of academic writing. When you reference, it immediately puts things in context for the reader, reassures them of the breadth and depth of your work while also ensuring that you don’t take credit for someone else’s research.
So we can safely assume that referencing is one of the, if not the most instrumental element of an academic document. We must also be aware that various forms of referencing styles are applicable to academic writing. Every institution uses a specific style. Each style determines the information to be provided about the original author(s), the order in which it is to be presented, and the punctuation required. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.
The MLA Style
Under the Modern Language Association or MLA style, references within the body of your document are mentioned within brackets. A reference will contain the author’s name and the page number only. The full citation is mentioned in the bibliography at the document’s absolute end.
Example: The entire species was extinct before the end of the millennium. (ABC, 20).
If you are using references from more than one work of the same author, then you will need to mention the title of the book you are referring to. You may use a shortened version. In the bibliography, you will mention all your references alphabetically based on the authors’ last names. You will provide the author’s full name, the title, the place where the book was published, the publisher, and the date.
The APA Style
When you are providing references in the body of your essay, you must mention the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number- all within parentheses. You must mention it before the full stop.
Example: The entire species was extinct before the end of the millennium (ABC, 2001, 20).
In the bibliography, a listing of names is similar to the MLA style. However, the details to be provided are the author’s last name, the initial of the first name, date, title, place, and the publisher’s name.
The Harvard Style
Under the Harvard style, references in the essay’s body must mention the author’s second name and the year of publication in parentheses.
Example: The entire species was extinct before the end of the millennium (ABC, 2001).
In the bibliography, make sure to provide ‘References’ as the heading and list the authors in alphabetical order. It is similar to the APA style.
A few things to keep in mind when providing references are spelling and punctuation. Every style mandates certain types of punctuation. So, it is always better to look into references and ask all the questions you have before you get started.