“References” or “References Cited” or “Works Cited”: a complete list of the books, articles, and other sources mentioned in the text. The list is generally alphabetized by authors' last names and often appears as the last page of a paper.

“Bibliography”: A list of works consulted but not mentioned in the text.

A phrase, sentence, or paragraph copied directly from another author. A direct quote is an exact copy of the original. An indirect quote restates, or “paraphrases.” Both direct and indirect quotes must be documented. (See “Avoiding Plagiarism: The Proper Use of Sources.”)

Quotation marks (“   ”) enclose quoted material. They always come in pairs. The first set signals the beginning of the quoted word, phrase, or sentence; the second set closes the quote. Quotations longer than four lines are usually set off as block quotes, which are indented in from the main body of the text. Quotation marks are not used for block quotes.

An ellipsis (plural, ellipses), is a set of three dots ( . . . ) inserted into quotations to indicate something has been left out, for example, an irrelevant part of a long sentence. An ellipsis tells the reader that the original sentence includes more than was quoted. Brackets ( [  ] ) enclose any words that are changed or added in the quote to give the sentence grammatical consistency or additional clarity. These square brackets (do not use ordinary parentheses) mean that the quoted material has been modified. Never use ellipses or brackets to change the meaning of the quotation.

Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page. Each footnote is numbered, and the number corresponds to a number in the text. (See “Preparing the Manuscript”.) Spacing footnotes at the bottom of a typewritten page is difficult, and most instructors suggest that the notes be typed on a separate page. These endnotes follow the text of a paper and contain the same information as footnotes. The only difference between footnotes and endnotes is where they appear: footnotes at the “foot” of each page; endnotes at the end of the paper before references cited, if any.

The use of in-text citations, also called “reference citations,”, is a method of documenting sources. This method replaces the more traditional foot- or endnoting and is preferred by many instructors in English, psychology, and the sciences. In-text citations give the author's name, page number, and sometimes the date of publication in parentheses at the end of a quote or borrowed idea.

In footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies, certain words are abbreviated.

 Page  . . . . “p.” (or “pp.” for the plural).
 Editor and Edition  . . . . . . . . . . “ed.”
 Revised Edition  . . . . . . . . . “rev. ed.”
 Translator or Translation  . . . . . “trans.”
 Volume number  . . . . . . . . “vol.” or “v.”
 The Number of a periodical  . . “no.” or “#.”