Components of a Standard Citation

In order for your readers to be able to find the sources you used, you need to supply citation information.

The basic components of a citation are Author, Title, and Publication Information. Depending on the source, these elements may be somewhat different.

Books: Author (or Editor), Title, Publisher, Place of publication, Year of publication

Mirzayan, R. (Ed.). (2006). Cartilage injury in the athlete. New York: Thieme.

Articles: Author, Article Title, Journal Title, Volume #, Issue #, Date, Pages

Kon, E., Delcogliano, M., Filardo, G., Montaperto, C., & Marcacci, M. (2008). Second Generation Issues in Cartilage Repair. Sports Medicine & Arthroscopy Review, 16(4), 221-229. 

Web Site: Author (or Company or Organization), Web Page Title, URL, Date (posted or revised), Date retrieved

Clinic, S. I. (2010). Medial Cartilage Meniscus Injury.  Retrieved January 30, 2010, from http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/knee/medialmeniscus.htm

Image: Artist name, Title of the work, Date is was created, Repository (or, museum or owner), City or Country of origin, Dimensions of the work, Material or medium (such as oil on canvas, marble, found objects)

• If the image is in a book you will need the full book citation with the page for the image.
• If it's online, you need the Web citation in addition to the image number or other identifier.

Kienzle, T. K. (Photographer). (2004). Greece Olympics Run [Photograph], Retrieved January 30, 2010, from: http://apimages.ap.org.proxy.lib.odu

Having citation information for each source used -- and presented in an organized and consistent way -- makes it easier for both you and your readers. Citation styles provide the framework for presenting your citation information clearly and consistently.