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Citations and Avoiding Plagiarism

Citation Styles

The main citation styles used at Seton Hall are APA, MLA, and Chicago. We encourage the use of the citation tools to the left, or others like Citation Machine. However, you must ALWAYS check your citations when using citation tools, such as citation generators. Understanding the rules of each style will help with this.

The first part of this guide provides online resources for APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles. The bottom of this guide contains links to the library's APA, MLA, and Chicago manuals, which includes where to find these manuals in the library.


APA (American Psychological Association) Online Sources - used in the social sciences

MLA (Modern Language Association) - used in literature and the humanities 

  • Recommended - Purdue OWL MLA Style - Includes a tutorial for citing in MLA style as well as sample papers and bibliographies.
  • Recommended - The MLA Style Center - Official MLA style site, containing tutorials and other FAQ's. Updated for MLA 9th edition (released 2021).

Chicago Manual of Style - used in the humanities and social sciences

  • Recommended - Purdue OWL Chicago Style - Includes a tutorial for citing in Chicago style as well as sample papers and bibliographies.
  • Recommended - Chicago Manual of Style  - Official Chicago style site that provides quick guides on how to cite in Chicago using both notes-bibliography and author-date style. Updated for CMOS 17th edition (released 2017).