SimplIfy
Start Scholarwell free

Writing StudioAcademic Writing

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Citation and polish

Choose the right citation style, apply it consistently, avoid plagiarism and proofread so your submission is clean.

Do this first

Pick five entries from your reference list and check each against an official example for your style: author names, date position, title capitalisation, italics, and DOI or page numbers. Note any errors you find, then search the rest of the list for the same ones.

Steps

0 of 6 steps done

  1. Confirm which style applies

    Use the style and edition your instructor, program handbook or target journal specifies; if none is given, choose the one most common in your field and apply it consistently. Typical pairings are APA 7 in psychology, education and many social sciences, MLA 9 in literature and languages, Chicago in history and the arts, IEEE in engineering and computing, and Vancouver in medicine and health sciences. A journal's author guidelines override any general manual.

  2. Know how your style's system works

    Author-date styles (APA, Chicago author-date) cite author and year in the text, (Smith, 2020) in APA, and list references alphabetically; MLA cites author and page (Smith 45) with an alphabetical Works Cited list. Numbered styles (IEEE, Vancouver) number sources in order of first citation, reuse the same number each time a source is cited again, and list references in numerical order. Chicago notes and bibliography uses footnotes or endnotes, usually with a bibliography.

  3. Cite everything you borrowed

    Cite quotations, paraphrases, summaries, data, images and ideas that are not common knowledge in your field, including material reused from your own earlier assignments or publications. Put exact wording in quotation marks even when you also give a citation. When you are unsure whether something is common knowledge, cite it.

  4. Use a reference manager, then check it

    Tools such as Zotero (free), Mendeley or EndNote store your sources and format citations in your chosen style. Their output is only as good as the imported details, so check capitalisation, author names, missing DOIs and page numbers by hand. Make sure every in-text citation has a matching reference entry, and the reverse.

  5. Proofread in separate passes

    Proofread only after revision is finished, and check one thing per pass: spelling and grammar, then citations and references, then numbers, figures and tables, then formatting. Change how the text looks to see it afresh: print it, enlarge the font or listen to it read aloud. Search for your own known errors, such as its and it's or missing articles.

  6. Run the final format checks

    Check the title page, headings, page numbers, margins, spacing, word count and file type against the instructions or journal guidelines. For theses, follow your graduate school's formatting rules, which can differ from your citation style. Save a PDF and look through it before submitting, since conversion can shift tables and figures.

Templates

One journal article in five styles

Italics: the journal name is italic in APA, MLA, Chicago and IEEE (APA also italicises the volume number). Vancouver uses no italics.

APA 7
In text: ([Surname], [Year]) or [Surname] ([Year])
Reference: [Surname], [A. B.], & [Surname], [C. D.] ([Year]). [Article title in sentence case]. [Journal Name], [volume]([issue]), [page range]. https://doi.org/[DOI]

MLA 9
In text: ([Surname] [page])
Works Cited: [Surname], [First name], and [First name] [Surname]. “[Article Title in Title Case].” [Journal Name], vol. [number], no. [number], [Year], pp. [page range]. https://doi.org/[DOI].

Chicago notes and bibliography (18th edition)
First note: [n]. [First name] [Surname] and [First name] [Surname], “[Article Title],” [Journal Name] [volume], no. [issue] ([Year]): [page cited], https://doi.org/[DOI].
Short note: [n]. [Surname] and [Surname], “[Short Title],” [page cited].
Bibliography: [Surname], [First name], and [First name] [Surname]. “[Article Title].” [Journal Name] [volume], no. [issue] ([Year]): [page range]. https://doi.org/[DOI].

IEEE
In text: the source's number in square brackets, such as [1], numbered in order of first citation
Reference: [1] [A. B.] [Surname] and [C. D.] [Surname], “[Article title],” [Abbrev. Journal Name], vol. [number], no. [number], pp. [page range], [Abbrev. Month] [Year], doi: [DOI].

Vancouver (NLM)
In text: a number in order of first citation, shown as (1), [1] or superscript depending on the journal
Reference: 1. [Surname] [AB], [Surname] [CD]. [Article title]. [Abbrev Journal Name]. [Year];[volume]([issue]):[page range]. doi:[DOI]

Proofreading passes

Pass 1, language: read aloud or use text-to-speech; search for [your known errors].
Pass 2, citations: every in-text citation matches the list; details follow [style and edition].
Pass 3, numbers: figures, tables, statistics and cross-references agree with the text.
Pass 4, consistency: spelling variety ([Canadian / British / US]), capitals, hyphens, abbreviations defined at first use.
Pass 5, format: title page, headings, page numbers, margins, spacing, word count, file name.

Check your draft

0 of 8 done

In your field

Numbered styles (IEEE, Vancouver) and author-date styles (APA, CSE, Harvard variants) are common, and many journals use their own variant, so follow the author guidelines exactly. Cite the original study where you can, rather than a review that mentions it.

Read more about this stage

Citation styles are systems with a logic. Author-date styles show who said something and when, which suits fields where recent findings matter; notes let humanities writers discuss sources without interrupting the argument; numbered styles keep dense technical prose readable. Conventions within each style still vary by journal and department, so treat your required guide as the final word.

Generative AI tools raise new citation questions. Follow your institution's or publisher's policy on whether and how to disclose their use; APA, MLA and Chicago have each published guidance on citing them, and many journals do not allow an AI tool to be listed as an author.

If you are unsure whether a particular use of a source is acceptable, ask your instructor, supervisor or a writing centre before you submit, and check your institution's academic integrity policy for its definitions.