Citation and Style Guides

Below are some basic examples of commonly cited material types. Note that formatting can differ even within these categories based on things like the number of authors, missing date information, and more. Refer to a citation guide when you encounter missing information or a unique format.

Print Books and Ebooks

Citation in reference list

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. Title in italics. Location of Publisher: Publisher. (if ebook) URL or format of access for PDF/EPUB.

In-text citation

(Author Last Name date)

Example

Morris, Aldon. 2015, The scholar denied: W. E. B. Du Bois and the birth of modern sociology. Berkeley, CA: University 
     of California Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/augsburgcollege/detail.action?docID=1882078

(Morris 2015)

Journal Article

Citation in reference list

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Title." Journal Title vol #(issue #): page numbers. DOI

In-text citation

(Author Last Name date)

Example

Neuman, Nicklas. 2019. "On the Engagement with Social Theory in Food Studies: Cultural Symbols and Social
     Practices." Food, Culture, & Society 22(1): 78-94. doi:10.1080/15528014.2018.1547069

(Neuman 2019)

Webpage

Websites vary widely in format. Sometimes you may not find much information about authors or publication dates, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't still cite it. Refer to a citation guide when you encounter missing information or a unique format like a social media post or online video.

Citation in reference list

Organization Name or Author Last Name, First Name. Date of publication (if no date use "n.d."). "Title." Accessed
     month day, year. URL

In-text citation

(Organization Name or Author Last Name date)

Example

Minnesota State Demographic Center. n.d. "Data By Topic". Accessed Oct 24, 2025. 
     https://mn.gov/admin/demography/data-by-topic/

Check out the Online Citation Guides in the previous section for more examples and instructions for nearly every type of source!