N — Visual Arts
NB — Sculpture
NC — Illustration, Drawing, Design
ND — Painting
NE — Print Media, Etchings, Wood Engraving
NK — Decorative Arts, Interior Art, Ceramics
NX — Art in General, Religious Art
TR — Photography
The good news is you only need 4-5 pieces of information to cover your bases, the info is largely the same across most styles, albeit with different punctuation, spacing, font styles, or other formatting quirks. Regardless of style, you will generally need to know:
1. The source's author's name (or names if there are multiple authors/contributors),
2. The title of the source (if there's no title then "untitled" or a brief description of the source will do),
3. The date of publication (or in other words, when did the work become available to other people beyond the author themselves). and,
4. Where the source "lives" (or where you acquired/accessed it from).
There are also two additional things you will always need: in-text citations and a running list of the sources used called a references list (or works cited, or bibliography. They're functionally the same thing.) With these in place, you've produced responsible scholarship and preserved your academic integrity.
General Structure of Article Citations
Last name, First initial. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical or Journal, volume number(issue number or month or season), pages. DOI or URL
One Author
References List
Doan, L. (2017). Queer history queer memory: The case of Alan Turing. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 23(1). 113-136. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/4/article/645206/pdf
In-Text Citation
(Doan, 2017, p. 121).
According to Doan (2017), the evidence says . . . . (p. 132).
Multiple Authors
References List
Harley, J. M., Liu, Y., Ahn, B., Lajoie, S. P., & Grace, A. P. (2020). Examining physiological and self-report indicators of empathy during learners’ interaction with a queer history app. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(6). 1920–1937. doi:10.1111/bjet.13019
In-Text Citation
(Harley et al., 2020, p. 1925).
The argument made by Harley et al. (2020) shows that . . . . . . . . . (p. 1931).
Pay Attention To:
1. Names: Last name, first initial, and middle initial, if provided. Also, do not change the order of the authors listed in the article. Cite them in exactly the order they provided.
2. Date: Only provide the year of publication.
3. Article titles are in italics and lowercase, with the exception of the first letter of the title, proper nouns (people and place names), and the first letter after a colon.
4. The title of the journal is in italics and the first letter of each word is capitalized (except for short prepositions).
5. The volume number of the journal is italicized, and following after without a space between is the issue number in parentheses. The issue number is not italicized. Ex: Volume(issue). 45(6).
6. Page numbers in the references list are simply provided as just numbers without the "p.". However, when citing in-text, the "p." is necessary.
7. In situations where an article does not have page numbers, you note the paragraph number that the information or quote appears in. (Yes, you have to count each paragraph.)
General Structure of Book Citations
Last name, First initial. (Year). Title of Book. Publisher name. DOI or URL (if eBook or accessed online).
One Author
References List
Washington, H. (2008). Medical apartheid: The dark history of medical experimentation on Black Americans from colonial times to the present. Anchor Books.
In-Text Citation
In Medical Apartheid, we see that enslaved Black Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Washington, 2008, p. 85).
When Washington (2008) says that . . . . . . . . . . . . (pp. 145-151).
Two Authors
References List
Gaiman, N. & Pratchett, T. (1990). Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. Workman Publishing.
In-Text Citation
It's only after Aziraphale says . . . . . . . . . . . (Gaiman & Pratchett, 1990, p. 204-205).
In the foreword to the novel, Gaiman & Pratchett (1990) state . . . . . . . . . . . (p. iii).
Edited Book
References List
VanderMeer, A. & VanderMeer, J. (Eds.). (2011). The weird: A compendium of strange and dark stories. Tor Books.
In-Text Citation
In the foreword to The Weird, Michael Moorcock states . . . . . . . . . . (VanderMeer & VanderMeer, 2011, p. xi).
Book Chapter, Article, or Similar Excerpt from an Edited Book
References List
Barker, C. (2011). In the hills, the cities. In VanderMeer, A. & VanderMeer, J. (Eds.), The weird: A compendium of strange and dark stories. (pp. 641-657). Tor Books. (Originally published in 1984).
In-Text Citation
(Barker, 2011/1984, p. 645)
Pay Attention To:
1. Names: Last name, first initial, and middle initial, if provided. Also, do not change the order of the authors listed on the book. Cite them in exactly the order they provided.
2. Date: Only provide the year of publication.
3. Book titles are in lowercase, with the exception of the first letter of the title, proper nouns (people and place names), and the first letter after a colon.
4. Page numbers are not required within the references list. However, when citing in-text, the page number is necessary and is written with a "p." preceding the number when citing one page, or "pp." when citing across two or more consecutive pages).
5. Remember to provide the book publisher in the references list citation. It is usually found on the copyright page, which is within the first couple pages of the book.
6. When a book is edited (has listed editor[s]), you must write in the editors and put (ed.) if one, or (eds.) if more than one after their name.
General Structure of Website Citations
Last name, First initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Title or name of website. URL.
Website with Author
References List
Griffiths, S. (2024, March 15). You can't hear it, but this sound can reveal that a tornado is on its way. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231212-the-sound-that-warns-a-tornado-is-coming.
In-Text Citation
It begins with the rustling of leaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Griffiths, 2024).
Griffiths (2024) says "storms that produce tornadoes generate low frequency sound waves" (para. 5).
Website with No Obvious Author
Title or name of website. (Year, Month Day). Title of Webpage. URL.
References List
Centers for Disease Control (2024, June 14). Lung cancer statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/lung-cancer/statistics/index.html.
In-Text Citation
"Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States" (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2008, p. 85).
The Centers for Disease Control [CDC] (2024) tells us that lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the US.
Pay Attention To:
1. Names: Last name, first initial, and middle initial, if provided. Also, do not change the order of the authors listed on the webpage. Cite them in exactly the order they provided.
2. Date: Provide the complete date of publication. (Year, Month Day).
3. Article titles are in italics and lowercase, with the exception of the first letter of the title, proper nouns (people and place names), and the first letter after a colon.
4. The each word in the name of the website begins with a capital. The name of the website is not italicized.
5. Page numbers in the references list are simply provided as just numbers without the "p.". However, when citing in-text, the "p." is necessary.
6. In situations where a webpage does not have page numbers, you note the paragraph number that the information or quote appears in. (Yes, you have to count each paragraph.)
General Structure of Newspaper Citations
Author Name. (Year, Month Day).Title of article. Name of newspaper, page number (if applicable). URL.
Newspaper
References List
Loumena, D. (2025, February 13). NBA brings new tournament style to All-Star Game. Los Angeles Times. http://proxy.library.cpp.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/sports-nba-brings-new-tournament-style-all-star/docview/3165999925/se-2?accountid=10357
In-Text Citation
The 74th NBA All-Star Game will take place Sunday in San Francisco (Loumena, 2025).
Loumena (2025) says "The slam dunk contest, with a two-round format featuring four contestants, will cap Saturday night's festivities" (para. 19).
General Structure of Image Citations
Images, Stock Images, GIFs, and Clip Art
References List
Pineapple Studio. (n.d.). Top view of sliced pineapple fruit as textured background [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://stock.adobe.com/images/top-view-of-sliced-pineapple-fruit-as-textured-background/226464435?prev_url=detail
Artwork
Name of artist. (Year). Title of the art [Medium of the art]. Where the art is located, City, State {or City, Country, when applicable}. URL.
References List
van Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Painting]. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889/
Maps
References List
Name of Author (Date). Title [Map]. Publisher. URL
Department of Lands, N.S.W. (1961). Map of the town of Cowra and suburban and adjacent lands: Parishes of Cowra and Mulyan, Counties of Bathurst and Forbes, Land District of Cowra, N.S.W. [Map]. Department of Lands, Sydney. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-241287008/view
General Structure of Film and Video Citations
Film
Name of director (Director). (Year). Title of film [Film]. Production company name.
References List
Spielberg, S. (Director). (1984). Indiana Jones and the temple of doom [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.
Youtube
Name of author (Channel/alt name). (Year). Name of video [Video]. YouTube. URL
References List
Celaine's ASMR. (2024, March 25). ASMR the most detailed cranial nerve exam you've seen 👩⚕️ doctor roleplay ear, eye & hearing test [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEZ7WvpHSkE
While citing your sources may seem like an unnecessary and time-consuming step, it's not without its purposes. It's important to cite your sources for three main reasons:
1. It gives credit to the original author of the information,
2. Allows readers to easily find the source of your information so they can see the information for themselves, and,
3. Avoids plagiarism by clearly indicating which ideas and work are not your own.
All three of these points work together to toward your academic integrity, the cornerstone of your relationship to your fellow students, professor, and your field of study. Citing your sources now also gives you time to practice that skill for when you leave the academy and enter into your private/professional life where the defense of educational fair use of material, ideas, and work that are not yours falls away.
Failing not to cite your sources in your essay is plagiarism, but generally not illegal. In your personal/professional life, however, failing to acquire permission to use ideas or work that is not your own and/or not citing where you got it from can be illegal and lead to potentially costly legal battles and associated fees for you or your job. Don't believe me? Here's just one example (or click here if NY Times website won't let you in).