There are certain basic things you need to cite just about any source, using just about any format:

• The AUTHOR (or creator) of the work.  This may be one person, many people, or a group or organization.
• The TITLE OF THE WORK itself.  For example, the article title, the book title, the chapter title, etc.
• The JOURNAL or the PUBLISHER.  For an article, you include the name of the specific magazine or journal.  For a book, the publishing house.
• The PUBLICATION DATE.

There are also certain things that must be included for specific types of works.  For example, for an article or a book chapter, you would provide page numbers.  For a website, you would provide the URL.

The moment when you are most likely to have easy access to all of this information?  When you find it in the first place.  Know then what you need to take note of to cite it effectively later.

Cite your sources using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition.

There is a copy of the APA Style Manual at the Information Desk in the Valley Library and there are copies in the collection you can check out at BF76.7 .P83 2020(6th floor).

Many of the databases provide citation assistance. Take a look for the icon or link to "Cite this article" or "Choose a bibliographic style." These sometimes only show up when you go to print, save, or email the article, and different databases use different terminology.

Always check your references for accuracy! Online database citation tools, while a great help, often make small mistakes, so review the citation before you add it to your bibliography.

Here are some online sources:

Learn how to keep up with new information on your topic by:

• setting up research alerts (journal table of contents and/or database search alerts)
• setting up RSS feeds and feedreaders
• reading or writing blogs

The Keeping Current with Research guide has more information.