Rules of thumb for citing sources:

• Include as much information as necessary to uniquely identify the source. For example, the citation to a weekly periodical must include the day of the month as well as month and year.
• When in doubt about whether to include clarifying information in a citation, include it. Example: if no date is available in or on the source, use n.d. to indicate that. Be sure to check the Library Catalog to see whether catalogers have derived a publication date from other sources.
• In the social sciences and humanities, cite the full title of a journal, magazine or newspaper. Bibliographies and indexes often cite abbreviated periodical titles. To locate the full title use these reference sources, or search the Cornell Library Catalog by periodical abbreviation.
  Note that journal titles are often abbreviated in citations in the physical and life science styles (See the ACS and CSE styles below).

It's important to give credit where credit is due. Cite your sources using one of the styles listed below or another style approved by the instructor. Knowingly representing the work of others as your own is plagarism. (For details, see Cornell's Code of Academic Integrity).

TIP: When citing materials from the Rare and Manuscripts Collection, include the collection number, the box number, and the folder number, when available, in additional to the author and title description of the object. Only the collection number is included in online finding aids and collection descriptions.

Citation/style guides available online:

• NEWLY AVAILABLE: The Chicago Manual of Style Online. 15th ed.

• Library Gateway Help: Maintained by the Documentation Committee. Includes citation examples in MLA style (last updated November 2002) and APA style (last updated November 2002) as well as links to The Chicago Manual of Style FAQ and a basic version of The Columbia Guide to Online Style.

• Duke University Libraries' Documentation page: shows APA, Chicago, MLA, Turabian, and CSE examples side by side

• Cornell Library Research Tutorial: links to examples of APA and MLA style from Library Gateway Help

• How to Cite Electronic Sources: from Library of Congress re citing LC Web pages [MLA and Chicago]

• Citing Maps: from Ohio Wesleyan University Library

• Citation Styles for Internet Census Information: from the Bureau of the Census

Citation styles in the life and physical sciences:

• American Chemical Society (ACS) style: from the Williams College Library

• Council of Biology Editors (CBE)/Council of Science Editors (CSE) style: from the University of North Carolina Libraries

Citation/style guides in book form:

• APA
  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.
  Olin Ready Ref BF 76.7 .P83x 2001



• Chicago
  The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed.
  Olin Ready Ref Z 253 .U69x 2003



• MLA
  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed.
  Olin Ready Ref Z 253 .M68 2003



• Turabian
  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed.
  Olin Ref PE 1478 .T92 1996



• Map formats
  Cartographic Citations: A Style Guide.
  Maps GA 108.5 .C58 1992.
  [Updated online by Citing Maps]



• Electronic/online formats
  The Columbia Guide to Online Style, 2nd ed.
  Olin Ready Ref PN 171 .F56 W35 2006.



• Electronic/online formats
  Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information, 2nd ed.
  Olin Ready Ref PN 171 .D37 L68 1996



• Government documents
  The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Writers & Librarians, 3rd ed.
  Olin Ready Ref + Z 7164 .G7 G37x 2002



• Unpublished records in the National Archives
  Citing Records in the National Archives of the United States.
  Olin Ref CD 3025 .U58 C5 1997



• Spanish
  The Writer's Reference Guide to Spanish
  Olin Ref PC 4410 .F68x 1999



• Chemistry and the physical sciences
  The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information, 3rd ed.
  Physical Sciences Ref QD 8.5 .A25 2006



• Life sciences
  Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 7th ed.
  Mann Ref T 11 .S386 2006
  [Previous title: the CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.]

You can also use RefWorks and EndNote to format citations. RefWorks is available online at http://www.refworks.cornell.edu/ . EndNote is available in the Electronic Text Center in Olin Library, the Uris Library e-Classroom, and on the reference desk computers.

See also: Signups and schedules for our free RefWorks and Endnote workshops.

For more information on citation tools and citation management, see the Citation Tools page on the Library Gateway.

Expert help with EndNote and RefWorks is available from CiteManage-L@cornell.edu

Guide for Cornell Dissertations/Theses:

The Graduate School at Cornell has made their booklet, "Doctoral Dissertation and Master's Thesis: Formatting, Production, and Submission Requirements," available on their Web page, http://thesis.gradschool.cornell.edu/. A printed version is available at the Graduate School in the Thesis Advisor's Office, 125 Caldwell Hall.

Identifying Full Periodical Titles from Abbreviations:

Periodical Title Abbreviations. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1969- . 2 volumes.
Volume 1: By abbreviation; volume 2: By title.
(Olin and Uris Ready Reference Z 6945 .A2 P44. Latest edition in Reference.)

ITA: Internationale Titelabkürzungen von Zeitschriften, Zeitungen, wichtigen Handbüchern, Wörterbüchern, Gesetzen, Institutionen usw. = International title abbreviations of periodicals, newspapers, important handbooks, dictionaries, laws, institutions, etc. München: Saur, 2005. 10th Aufl. [edition]. 3 volumes.
(Olin Ready Reference Z 6945 .A2 L4 2005 ++.)

Jones, David J. Australian Periodical Title Abbreviations. Leura, N.S.W.: Second Back Row Press, 1985.
(Olin Reference Z 6962 .A8 J66)

If all else fails consider this guide that links to a wide variety of online lists of journal abbreviations for individual disciplines and databases:

All that JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources. [Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University, 2000]- .
(Online at http://resolver.library.cornell.edu/misc/3873914). Last accessed 5 April 2007.
Registry of Web resources that list or provide access to the full title of journal abbreviations or other types of abbreviated publication titles (e.g., conference proceedings titles). Selected online library catalogs that offer abbreviated title searching have also been included. In addition, access to full journal title directories or lists is also provided.