4 Select the format for your citation. Format determines where the various components of the citation appear in your work. Parenthetical and author-date citation formats must be accompanied by a List of Works Cited at the end of the paper. Papers employing a notes format also often include a final List of Works Cited. 5 Select the style for your citation.
Style determines how information is arrayed within a citation of a given source type.
Various academic disciplines and their related periodicals employ different styles. Thus all citations are comprised of given fields, determined by source type and arranged according to given styles and formats. Just as word processing in the 1980s dramatically changed how scholarly papers were written, so too has bibliographic software in the 1990s simplified the process of preparing consistent citations. Nonetheless, different academic disciplines often employ different styles and formats of citations. Before completing your first assignment for a course always consult with your instructor to learn how he or she wishes you to cite your sources.