*Communication & Media Studies: The Portal

This page provides information on citing references in the 7th edition of the APA  and on helpful resources on writing. If you need information on different citation styles such as Chicago, MLA, or others, please see FSU Libraries' Citation Guide.  

To cite your references:

• Ask your instructor/TA about which style is preferred for the course, figure out the latest edition of the citation style, and use the style consistently throughout your paper.  
• Know where to get the citation style information
  • Consult the official style manual 
    • Borrow a copy from the Library. We have multiple print copies of the 7th edition of the APA in the library. 
    • For the APA, purchase or rent a print copy or eBook of the official citation manual from the vendors.
  • Consult free online style guides for examples of citing sources. 
    • This webpage 
    • Purdue OWL site for APA, MLA, and Chicago Guides
    • APAStyle.org 
  • Use a citation generator or citation management program to automatically generate in-text citations and a reference list in the chosen style.  Note: The programs are not perfect. It is still the author's responsibility to ensure that the references in the paper are cited properly in the given citation style. 

Source: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf 

[Other Useful Sources on APA 7]

• APA Style.org (from APA) 
  • Reference Examples, including information on DOIs and URLs
    • Common Reference Examples Guide (PDF file)
  • In-Text Citations, including quotations and secondary sources 
  • Tables & Figures 
  • Data Set References
  • Clip Arts or Stock Images 
  • Other Audiovisual Media and Online Media (such as YouTube videos or Social Media posts)  
  • Paper format, including the page setup, headings, etc. 
     
• Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) 
  • Reference List: Electronic Sources 
  • Reference List: Audiovisual Media 
  • Report by a Government Agency or Other Organization 
     
• Citing Legal References 
  • The Bluebook 
  • Citing Court Decisions (from APA Style)
  • Government & Legal References (from U of Washington)  
     
• Citing Business Sources 
  • APA 7th Edition Citation for Business Sources 
    Citation examples from specialized business sources such as AdAge, eMarketer, Mintel, NexisUni, Statista, etc. 

If you intend to use and cite AI-generated content for course assignments, first consult with your instructor. Instructors have varying opinions about how or whether students may use ChatGPT or other Generative AI tools. Use the following format to cite ChatGPT. For detailed information on how to cite AI in APA style, please check this APA blog post, How to cite ChatGPT, created on April 7, 2023. 

To quote or reproduce the text generated by ChatGPT in your paper:

To put the full text of long responses from ChatGPT in an appendix or in online supplemental materials:

To create a reference to ChatGPT or other AI models and software:

[Citation Generators]
Cite sources automatically.

• Purdue OWL's  APA 7 (Powered by the Citation Machine)
• Citefast
  • APA 7, APA 6, MLA 8 & Chicago 
• For more information on other citation generators, see here

[Citation Management Programs] 

• Zotero: An open-source citation management program
  • Zotero User's LibGuide explains how to create a free account and how to import and export references
• For information on other citation management programs such as Mendeley or EndNote, see here

Credit: Univ. of Vermont 

• How to Make an Appointment @ FSU Reading Writing Center 
• Courses for credit 
  • ENC 1905 Improving College-Level Writing
  • ENG 5998 Tutorial in English. 
    Provides individualized support for graduate students working on conference papers, articles, theses, and dissertations. 
  • EAP 5845 Academic Writing for International Graduate Students 
• Academic PhraseBank 
  Look up commonly used phrases in academic writings (from Univ. of Manchester)  
• Organizing Your Social Science Research Paper (from USC)
  • Preparing to Write | Writing Literature Review 
• Tips and Tools for Academic Writing (from UNC)
• iThenticate
  • A plagiarism detection software. Available through the Office of Research. Create an account first. For FSU members only