How to Cite in an Essay
Citing the sources from where you have drawn the material for your essay is very important. The method of citing depends upon the instructions of your teacher, the type of essay, and how you are making use of the borrowed material. No matter how important the sources are, you can mention them either in a sentence or in between brackets as footnote in the end of your essay.
Citations also differ depending upon the discipline under which the essay falls. For example, citations of a Psychology paper are very different from the citations mentioned in an English language essay. You should always ask your teacher as to how wants the citations to be presented in the essay.
Citation in the body of work
If the source from which you have drawn the material is central to your work, you need to mention the source properly in the body of the essay. You can write a sentence or two about the source, its importance, and the ideas or concepts that you have used. Using the name of the author is a good idea if he happens to be famous and accepted as an authority. If you do not have much information about the author, it is better to focus upon his work and ideas.
Mentioning the name of the author and the book once is enough. You need not repeat his or his book’s name frequently to drive home your point. However, if you are citing multiple sources, you cna go back to the source so as to make the point clear for your readers.
Quoting from the source
Sometimes, mentioning the source and the name of the author is not enough. In such a scenario, you can take exact words from the source and place them as text in your essay. This is called quoting and it allows you to say something in the same words as the author without paraphrasing it. If you have used a quote in your essay, make sure you have written two sentences about it in a bid to analyze it. When quoting from a source, it is important to draw on the material that is relevant to your essay.
If you are using words that have not been used by the author in the original source, you have to include them inside brackets. When using very long quotes, it is advisable to use a very small font to fit it inside the essay easily.
Sources: