Research paper Reference style

Research paper reference style is one of the basic questions that vex a scholar or student. Analysis of a topic depends on extensive reading in the concerned field. The material taken from this is used to uphold or refute certain views and to this the source needs to be referred to. It is here that the researcher finds himself in need of a method of citation and reference writing that is compatible with the work that is presented.

In general, the mode of presenting reference depends on the type of presentation. There are a few standard methods that are well known and most frequently utilized in the academic world. The most commonly used are the MLA and the APA methods of citation. Besides these two there are also the Turabian and Chicago methods too but these are restricted in their use.

We will take up the first two for detailed discussion. The MLA research paper citation method follows the pattern of name of author, title of book, place of publication, name of publisher, and year of publication. In case of articles in periodicals and magazines the name of article is followed by the name of periodical or magazine where it appears, its volume and page number. The references are arranged alphabetically and the lines are double spaced. The second line of the reference is indented five spaces. This method of citing sources is most popular in literature and humanities fields.

The APA style research paper method is suited to different fields. Investigation in the areas of social sciences, including psychology and education use this methodology. It begins with the author but instead of title, the date of publication is given priority. The title comes next and is followed by place of publication and name of publisher. For articles the volume and page number are placed after the title.

Yet another format is the AMA one. This is used in medicine and the biological and natural sciences. It has the author, title, place and name of publication and date in that order. Items are listed numerically as they appear in the text. The title is either written in italics or underlined.

Research paper reference style is of importance to highlight certain aspects of the source.