Skip to Main Content

Biology

This guide provides information on finding and using biology related resources.

Basic parts of a citation

Citation styles vary but they all tend to include the same information. The key is to learn how to identify the different parts of the citation and then plug them into the correct place for the style.

Rules for Every Citation Style

  • Identify the parts of your article
    • Title
    • Author
    • Source
    • Date
    • URL/DOI
    • Pages
  • Find the right "formula" for your citation style
  • Plug the parts into the formula
  • There are exceptions and variations
    • Follow any directions from your instructor
    • If a part isn't there - skip it
    • Follow the general format as best you can
    • Ask for Help!

Is it a Web page or a Journal?

Many scholarly journal articles are available online which can cause some confusion. Should you cite it as a journal article or as a web page? Journal articles and web pages have distinct characteristics. Both web pages and journal articles are often found by clicking a URL or link, but even when a journal article is accessed through web page, you would still cite it as a journal and not as a web page. 

graphic comparing webpages to journals

Web page Example

labeled screenshot of a webpage

 

Journal Example

labeled screenshot of a journal landing page