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Public Administration - Local Government

A starting point for public administration and local government research.

Cite Your Sources

Each time you use someone else's thoughts, words, or ideas in your assignment you always give credit by including a citation.

Use the CapU APA Citation Guide for more help and step by step instructions for citing different sources of information.

APA Citation Basics

There are two parts to every citation, the in-text citation and the reference list citation. Below are the very basics of APA citations. Visit the CapU Library APA Citation guide (linked below) for more information. 

 

In-text

  • Use an in-text citation immediately after using information from someone else 
  • APA in-text citations follow the format of (author, date)
  • Include a page number when direct quoting (author, date, pg #)
  • You will have many in-text citations throughout your assignment

 

Reference List

  • The reference list comes at the end of your paper and is an alphabetical list of every resource you used in your assignment
  • There are lots of pieces of information that make up a reference and you are not expected to memorize how they are put together 

 

The CapU Library APA Citations guide contains many, many examples of citations which you can follow to create your own in-text and reference list citations:

Why do we cite?

When you use someone else's thoughts, ideas, or words in your own work, you must always include a citation. 

The main reasons to cite are to: 

  • Give credit to the original author
  • Direct the reader to the original work
  • Strengthen your argument
  • Show the evolution of scholarship over time

There are many different citation styles. In this class, you are asked to use APA citations.

For more information on in-text and reference list APA citations, visit the CapU Library APA Citations Guide.