Essay Writing - Reference Page, Footnotes in APA and MLA Formats

Katie DaRin: Hi! I am Katie DaRin with SMARTHINKING.com, and today we are learning how to write a better college paper. In this next segment we will talk about a reference page, footnotes, and other formatting issues.

Once you have completed your essay you have to make sure that you focus on the citation style. It's important to properly cite and format the essay according to the citation style you are using.

For this we are only going to focus on MLA and APA but there are other citation styles. Students should make sure to check with their professor to see which one should be used. In MLA one way to cite is with footnotes or with In-text citation. With footnotes, a lot of times there will be a superscript number in the text and the citation at the end of the page. With parenthetical citation, there is a full citation in the document and on the works cited page.

These are two examples of MLA In-text citation. For the first one, the citation appears at the end of the sentence, in the second one it's the introduction to the sentence. When using MLA format, there are afew key things to remember. The heading should always be double spaced, the title should always be centered, and there should always be a header on each page that says your last name and the page number. Your header will also need to be half an inch from the top. The text should be double spaced and you should indent long quotations with a one inch margin.  There should also be a one inch margin on all sides of your paper.

On an MLA Works Cited page, works Cited should be centered with no other formatting. Remember to include your header again with the last name and page number. Also use a hanging indent and alphabetize all entries, double spacing between all the lines. There is specific format when using each citation style, remember to visit the web site because these are subject to change and you want to be using the up to date version.

In APA format you can use foot notes and In-text citations as well.  Similar to MLA format, in APA you will put a superscript for your footnote in the text, and the end of the manuscript have the entire citation. With In-text citations, you will have the full citation right in the text and a reference page at the end. For APA make sure to number footnotes in the order that they appear in the essay.

These are two examples of different ways to make footnotes. In the first example, there is a full in-text citation. In the second example, there is only the date of the article you are referencing and on your reference page, the date will be there as well so that he reader can make the connection.

In APA format you'll want to have a title page with a running header, the full title, your name and the institution.  For APA reference pages remember to center the word References with no other formatting. Also alphabetize and double space all entries and use an hanging indent.  These graphics are created using the fifth edition, make sure you visit APA website so you are using the most current and up to date information.

Remember to use this guideline and you will have yourself a very successful college paper.