Citation tools
Citation tools (i.e. citation managers, reference management software, or bibliographic management tools) are utilized by authors and scholars alike to sort and organize their references. Ball State University has partnered with EndNote to provide students free access to its many features. For more information on EndNote and how to install it, please refer to the EndNote library guide.
Citation style guides
Academic disciplines and related organizations have varying styles when it comes to citing sources and formatting research papers: MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and CMS (Chicago Manual of Style), just to name a few.
The following are style guides and writers' manuals that are available for in-person use at Bracken Library. These are very useful for citation assistance and for a more in-depth approach to academic writing and research. If you only need a brief overview of a particular style, take a look at our quick citation guides.
- The Chicago Manual of Style OnlineSubscription access to The Chicago Manual of Style online.
- APA Style: Style and Grammar GuidelinesGuidelines from APA concerning format, bias-free language, in-text citations, and more.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by Call Number: Reference Collection BF76.7 .P83 2010The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is best suited for those associated with the social and behavioral sciences. This style of citation focuses on best practices for selecting headings, abbreviations, statistics, electronic reference formats, and publication ethics.
MLA Handbook by Call Number: Reference Collection LB2369 .G53 2016The MLA Handbook would best fit those who are conducting scholarship in the humanities field: English studies, comparative literature, and literary analysis. This handbook provides an overview on the MLA's system of documentation, plagiarism and academic dishonesty, and tips on how to best evaluate sources.
The Chicago Manual of Style by Call Number: Reference Collection Z253 .U69 2010This is a documentation style used primarily in the humanities, such as History, English, and Art. The Chicago citation style presents two documentation styles: Notes-Bibliography System (NB) and the Author-Date System. The former is generally used by those working in literature, history, and the arts; the latter is utilized by those who work in the sciences and social sciences.
AMA Manual of Style by Call Number: Reference Collection R119 .A533 2007This citation style was created by the editors of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). The AMA (American Medical Association) citation style outlines writing and citation styles for the health sciences.
How to Write a BA Thesis by Call Number: OnlineThe senior thesis is the capstone of a college education, but writing one can be a daunting prospect. Students need to choose their own topic and select the right adviser. Then they need to work steadily for several months as they research, write, and manage a major independent project. Now there's a mentor to help. How to Write a BA Thesis is a practical, friendly guide written by Charles Lipson, an experienced professor who has guided hundreds of students through the thesis-writing process. This book offers step-by-step advice on how to turn a vague idea into a clearly defined proposal, then a draft paper, and, ultimately, a polished thesis.
A Writer's Reference with Writing about Literature by Call Number: PE1408 .H277 2015This version of the best-selling college handbook includes a tabbed section called Writing about Literature, a practical guide to interpreting works of literature and to planning, composing, and documenting papers about literature. Students will find help with forming and supporting an interpretation, avoiding plot summary, integrating quotations from a literary work, observing the conventions of literature papers, and using secondary sources. Writing about Literature also includes two sample student essays -- one that uses primary sources and one that uses primary and secondary sources. The full primary texts are also included.
The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook by Call Number: PE1408 .B883825 2019The Norton Field Guide lets you teach the way you want to teach. Short chapters with just enough detail can be assigned in any order. Color-coded links send students to more detail if they need it. Menus, directories, and a glossary/index all make the book easy to navigate. This flexibility makes it work for first-year writing, stretch, ALP, co-req, dual-enrollment, and integrated reading-writing courses. A new APA Documentation Guide (Seventh Edition) is available with the adoption of any Norton Composition book. The guide is available digitally or in print--please contact your Norton rep or composition@wwnorton.com for more details.
They Say / I Say by Call Number: PE1431 .G73 2017"They Say / I Say" identifies the key rhetorical moves in academic writing, showing students how to frame their arguments in the larger context of what others have said and providing templates to help them make those moves. And, because these moves are central across all disciplines, the book includes chapters on writing in the sciences, writing in the social sciences, and--new to this edition--writing about literature.
