Citing in an essay is an important part of academic writing. It allows the writer to establish credibility and demonstrate that they have researched their topic thoroughly. There are different ways to cite sources, depending on your field of study and the format of your essay.

When writing an academic essay, it is important to include a citation for every source that you used. This includes quotes, paraphrases, statistics, or any other information taken from an outside source. Citations should appear in the text of your essay and in a Works Cited page at the end of the document.

The most common citation style for essays is MLA (Modern Language Association) format. This style requires you to include the authors last name and page number in parentheses after a quotation or paraphrase. For example, (Smith 8). If the authors name is not given, use the title or a brief description of the source instead. At the end of the document, include an alphabetical Works Cited page with all of the sources that you used in your essay.

The APA (American Psychological Association) citation style is also commonly used. This style requires you to include the authors last name and year of publication in parentheses after a quotation or paraphrase. For example, (Smith, 2020). The References page at the end of the document should include all sources that were cited in the text.

There are also other citation styles, such as Chicago and Harvard, but these two are the most commonly used. It is important to consult your professor to determine which style is appropriate for your assignment. Whichever style you use, be sure to be consistent and provide accurate information for each source cited in your essay.