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Why We Cite

Identifying Sources

What kind of source is this anyway?

Before you begin formatting your paper in APA, MLA or Chicago style, it is helpful to first identify your source, as in: Am I working with a newspaper article or a blog post? The difference might seem obvious when you are holding a paper newspaper, but it gets a little less clear when scrolling on a website.   

(Identifying your source type is important beyond knowing how to format it. See "Why Cite?" below or visit our tutorial on Reading and Evaluating Sources and Incorporating Sources into your Writing.)

So how do you identify the type of source you are working with? The University of Alberta provides this excellent interactive tutorial to help you. The cues here will help you decipher source type across all style guides: APA, MLA and Chicago. 

APA Style Citation Tutorial by University of Alberta Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.