"In-text citation" means that you refer to (or cite) the ideas or words of another as soon as you write about them in your paper. There are several ways to do this: using quotation marks for exact words, summarizing or condensing without changing the meaning, and paraphrasing or using your own words.
Here are specific examples of ways to handle in-text citation in both APA and MLA format.
APA7th In-Text Citation Basics (Purdue OWL)
APA 7th In-Text Citations Specific Examples (Purdue OWL)
MLA In-Text Citation Basics and Examples (Purdue OWL)
Brief Examples of Quoting, Summarizing and Paraphrasing Using MLA (UCLA Library)
Writing an Education Research Paper (Boston College) (Brief discussion of typical parts of paper on education topics specifically.)
Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching: Components of a Research Paper (Online tutorial in which the key components of a quality research paper are identified and discussed with videos and examples.)
Citation Managers are bibliographic management programs that will help you keep track of articles and books as you find them, organize your references and create bibliographies in 100s of citation styles (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.)
They will also allow you to:
Below are some popular citation managers and their differences. Remember to always check with your professor if you are not sure.
| Criteria | Zotero | Mendeley | EndNote and EndNote Web |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website |
There is also Zoterobib, which allows you to create an instant bibliography from your browser on any devices. |
https://www.mendeley.com/ |
EndNote Web: https://www.myendnoteweb.com/ |
| Web based? | Yes, works with Firefox browser and can sync with online account; connectors for Chrome and Safari available | Yes | EndNote is a standalone app but it can transfer library to EndNote Web. |
| Operating System | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac | Windows or MAC |
| Cost | Free for basic account and the standalone app. Some cost for more online storage space | Free for basic account, with paid options for additional storage and features | Free for EndNote Web but $$ for the standalone app. |
| Important citation styles available/not available | Available: MLA, APA, Chicago, ACS, AMA, IEEE, and thousands more via CSL editor Not Available: No major styles missing |
Available: APA, IEEE, Chicago Not Available: MLA, ACS (ACS may require premium features) |
Available: APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE Not Available: ACS (requires full EndNote) |
| Import from databases | Yes | Yes | Direct export from specific databases |
| Import citation info from web pages | Yes, also archives the page and you can add annotations | Yes, via a web importer tool
|
only with EndNote Web bookmarklet |
| Attach associated files (PDFs, etc.) | Yes, with option to attach automatically | Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs | Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs |
adapted from American University Library, Penn State University Libraries, and official websites of these tools
