FAQ About Academic Paper

When writing an academic paper, including a literature cited section is essential to acknowledge and provide proper credit to the sources you have referenced in your work. Here are some steps to follow when creating a literature cited section:

• Gather Information: Collect all the necessary information about each source you have cited in your paper. This includes the author's name(s), publication year, title of the article or book, title of the journal or book, page numbers, and any other relevant details.
• Determine the Citation Style: Determine which citation style you are required to use for your paper, such as APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago/Turabian, or IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Each style has specific guidelines for formatting citations.
• Arrange Entries: Organize your sources in alphabetical order by the last name of the first author or by the title if there is no author listed. Maintain consistent formatting and punctuation throughout the citations.
• Format Citations: Follow the specific formatting rules of your chosen citation style for each type of source (e.g., books, journal articles, websites, etc.). Pay attention to details such as italics, capitalization, use of quotation marks, and abbreviations.
• Provide Complete and Accurate Information: Ensure that each citation contains all the necessary information to identify and locate the source. Include the full title of the article or book, the complete names of authors, the correct publication year, and page numbers, as required by the citation style.
• Check for Accuracy: Verify the accuracy of your citations by cross-referencing them with the original sources. Make sure that there are no typographical errors or omissions in the information provided.
• Use Hanging Indents: Format the citations with a hanging indent, where the first line of each citation is flush left, and subsequent lines are indented. The specific indentation style may vary depending on the citation style you are using.
• Include DOI or URL: If applicable, include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for journal articles or the URL for online sources. These provide direct access to the source and facilitate retrieval by readers.
• Double-Check Style Guidelines: Review the specific guidelines of your chosen citation style to ensure that you have adhered to all the formatting rules, such as punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviation conventions.
• Revise and Proofread: Carefully review the entire literature cited section to check for any errors or inconsistencies. Make sure the formatting is consistent throughout and that all citations are properly formatted according to the selected citation style.