Determine the style guide that you will be using. If you are working with a professor or an editor, he can tell you which style guide to use. The American Psychological Association (APA) Formatting and Style Guide is typically used for social-science sources, while Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used for sources in the liberal arts and humanities. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is most commonly used for books rather than research papers.
Gather the appropriate information from each piece of print media as you use it. Jot down the title, author, year of publication, location and publisher for every piece. You should also note the pages where you found the relevant information. For periodical articles, you will also need to know the volume and issue number.
Provide in-text citations as you write. APA and CMS citations will include the author's last name and the year of publication (for example: Smith, 2008). Direct quotes from a printed work must have the page number included in the citation as well (for example: p. 25). MLA style requires inclusion of the author's last name and the page number for each parenthetical citation (for example: Smith 91). In either case, if the author's name is mentioned in the text, the citation need only include the year or page number.
Compile an alphabetical list of the references used in your work. This will be provided in the bibliography at the end of your paper or book.
Format books as follows for APA style: Author's Last Name, Initials (year of publication). Book title: Subtitle in italics. Location: Publisher
For MLA style, format books as follows: Author's Last Name, First Name. Book Title: Subtitle in Italics. Location: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication
For CMS, use the following: Author's Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. Book Title: Subtitle in Italics. Location: Publisher
Format magazines and journals as follows for APA style: Author's Last Name, Initials (Year, Month, Day). Title of Article. Title of Publication in Italics, Volume Number in Italics (Issue Number), Pages
For MLA style: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Publication in Italics. Date, Month, Year: Pages. Medium of Publication
For CMS: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Publication in Italics. Volume Number (Date, Month, Year): Pages
Format newspapers the same as magazines and journals without the volume or issue number. Pay attention to the distinct pagination of newspapers, which involves a letter followed by the page number. In APA style, the page number for newspapers must also be preceded by "p." for a single-page article, or "pp." for multi-page articles.