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UMass Amherst Libraries

University Without Walls

This guide introduces UWW students to research skills.

Style Guides

There are two major styles you will encounter, APA and MLA 

APA (American Psychological Association), used widely in the Social Sciences and Business
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is located at the reserve desk at the call number: BF76.7 .P83 2010
An online version of the APA style is available from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

​MLA (Modern Language Association), used in English and many other Humanities Disciplines
The MLA Guide for Writers of Research Papers is located at the reserve desk at the call number LB 2369 .G53 2009 
An online version of the MLA Guide is available from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Most Databases now offer a feature to create citations for you automatically
In EBSCO databases (Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, PsycINFO, et. al.)
1. After conducting a search, click the link to the article you want to cite.
2. Click Cite on the right side of the screen.
3. The citations will be in the new window that opens.
4. Look for the style that you need in the list and copy it exactly into the bibliography of your paper

In ProQuest databases (ABI/Inform, Sociological Abstracts, et. al.)
1. After conducting a search, click the box next the the article(s) you want to cite.
2. Click Cite at the top of the results list Citing Symbol from Proquest
3. The citations will be in the new window that opens.
4. Look for the style that you need in the list and copy it exactly into the bibliography of your paper
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