Citation Guide: Home

Welcome to the FSU Libraries Citation Guide! In this guide you will find resources for MLA, APA and Chicago styles of citation. In addition, library guides and tutorials for various citation management programs such as RefWorks, Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote Basic are available in this guide. 

For assistance with citing references or citation management software, contact the liaison librarian for your subject area or the service desks in the

Scholars Commons

(850) 644-6061

Learning Commons

(850) 644-3084 or

Dirac Science Library

(850) 644-5534

• To give credibility to authors and sources whom you have quoted, paraphrased, summarized, and/or interpreted. 
• It gives readers access to the sources you used in your work -- this helps build your credibility!
• Citing helps avoid pesky plagiarism (see the "Plagiarism" section on this page).
• To provide reputable authority, evidence, research, and/or information for your research, paper, or assignment.

There are thousands of citation styles to choose from -- so how should you know which to select? Oftentimes, your instructor will assign one for you; other times you may have the option to pick one for yourself. Here is a breakdown on some of the most used citation styles:

• APA (American Psychological Association)
  • Used mostly within the social sciences 
  • Click here to find the multiple locations of the 6th edition at FSU
• MLA (Modern Language Association)
  • Used in literature and the humanities, especially with English and Literature programs 
  • Go here to find the locations of the 8th edition at FSU
  • Click here for the copies of the 7th edition at FSU
• Chicago Manual of Style
  • Used frequently in the humanities and social sciences 
  • Online copy of 15th edition here
  • Find copies of the 16th edition at FSU here

Is your citation style not listed here? Don't fret! FSU offers several citation management programs to help add, manage, and cite your resources! 

• RefWorks (ProQuest and Legacy versions)
• Zotero
• EndNote
• Mendeley

For more information on these programs and their helpful features, please click on the Citation Management Program tab at the top of this guide.

Plagiarism is a serious issue in the American academic community.  New knowledge is built on previous ideas and knowledge, and credit must be given to those who ideas are being used.  Failure to do so and to present another's ideas as your own can result in serious consequences, including a lower or failing grade on an assignment or in a course, probation, suspension, or dismissal from the university.

Florida State University defines plagiarism as "Intentionally presenting the work of another as one's own (i.e., without proper acknowledgement of the source).  Typical examples include: Using another's work from print, web, or other sources without acknowledging the source; quoting from a source without citation; using facts, figures, graphs, charts or information without acknowledgement of the source."

- FSU Academic Honor Policy

"Regarding academic assignments, violations of the Academic Honor Code shall include representing another's work or any part thereof, be it published or unpublished, as one's own. It shall also include presenting or submitting any academic work in a manner that impairs the instructor's ability to assess the student's academic performance. For example, plagiarism includes failure to use quotation marks or other conventional markings around material quoted from any source."

- FSU Academic Honor Violation

Check out our Library Guide to Plagiarism for more info and resources.