Skip to Main Content

How to Cite Sources in Your Research Paper

A guide on how to cite your sources and avoid plagiarism

Scientific Style and Format by Council of Science Editors

Scientific Style and Format presents three systems for referring to references within the text of a journal article, book, or other scientific publication:

  • citation–sequence
  • name–year
  • citation–name

These abbreviated references are called in-text references. They refer to a list of references at the end of the document.

The system of in-text references that you use will determine the order of references at the end of your document. These end references have essentially the same format in all three systems, except for the placement of the date of publication in the name–year system.

Refer to the Scientific Style and Format, 8th Edition for details.