VCU Writes: A Student’s Guide to Research and Writing

1. Author’s or Primary Creator’s name or username: Last name, First name for the first author, and then other names in First Last order. It’s only necessary to include up to two names. If there are more than two authors, you can simply use “et al.” after the first one. If you have a username or screen name, reproduce it as given.
2. Title of Source: The title of the source should be in quotation marks for articles, essays, songs, TV episodes, and other parts of a larger item; or in italics if it’s a book, journal, magazine, newspaper, album, TV series, or other larger item. If the work does not have a title, provide an informative description of the work.
3. Title of Container: A container is a work that contains another work, such as how an anthology contains an essay, or Twitter contains a tweet. If the item in 2 above is contained in, or part of, a larger item, put the Title of Container in italics.
4. Contributor/s: Editor/s, translator/s, illustrator/s, performer/s, and other contributors if there are any–often there will not be. Always list the appropriate label describing the role played, in lowercase unless it follows a period.
5. Version: Volume, version, or edition. “Edition” may be abbreviated ed., such as “3rd ed.” Volume may be abbreviated vol., such as “vol. 13.” You may include variations such as “e-book ed.” or “Director’s cut” here if relevant.
6. Number: Issue, number, season, or episode. “Number” may be abbreviated no., as “no. 21” in a numbered sequence. “Season” and “episode” should not be abbreviated.
7. Publisher: The entity primarily responsible for making the work available to the public. Can be omitted when the work is ongoing, such as a newspaper or other frequently/regularly updated source; for a website whose title is the name of the publisher, such as the Modern Language Association website; or when the reference is to a service not involved in producing the works they make available.
8. Publication date: This may also be composition date or performance date for unpublished works, or date of most recent revision if that information is more relevant. Access date may be substituted for publication date only for online works with no listed publication date by including “Accessed Day Month Year,” but otherwise should not be included.
9. Location: Page number/s and DOI, permalink, or URL for online sources. Use only DOI if one is available, only a permalink if there is no DOI, and only a URL if there is neither DOI nor permalink. Use a geographical location for live events that you experienced firsthand and which are otherwise unpublished.

When creating your citations, add each element in order, skipping any information that isn’t available. When a citation element is described as optional, you should include it only if doing so increases clarity about the source’s identity or adds value to its use for either you or your reader. If not, it may be skipped.

To find examples of full citations for a specific source type, select the applicable source type from the menus below.

If your work is a full work (such as an article) published in another full work (such as a journal) published inside a third work (such as a database or Google Books) and so on, you can indicate this by creating the basic citation and repeating the template from Title of Container to Location, creating additional containers for your object. Here is an example of an item with two containers:

The basic citation info:

1. Author’s or Primary Creator’s name or username.
2. Title of Source.

Container 1:
3. Title of Container (this is the “small container” that holds the item listed in 2),
4. Contributor/s (for 3),
5. Version (for 3),
6. Number (for 3),
7. Publisher (for 3),
8. Publication date (for 3),
9. Location (for 3),

Container 2:
10. Title of Container (this is the “big container” that holds the “small container” listed in 3 above),
11. Contributor/s (for 10),
12. Version (for 10),
13. Number (for 10),
14. Publisher (for 10),
15. Publication date (for 10),
16. Location (for 10).

Websites and apps are not containers when they are not the original publisher of that work, but are merely a gateway to that work; for example, Amazon is not a container when it was the source from which you downloaded an e-book, but it is the container for a review of a book published on that book’s product page.

When creating your citations, simply skip any information that isn’t available. To find examples of full citations for a specific source type, select the applicable source type from the menus below.

Author Last name, First name. Title of Book in Italics and Title Case. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Armistead, Cal. Being Henry David. Albert Whitman, 2013.

For a book with two authors, list the second author’s name in First name Last name order.

Author Last name, First name, and Author First name Last name. Title of Book in Italics and Title Case. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Stokes, Chris, and Mark Howden. Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: Preparing Australian Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for the Future. CSIRO,     2010.

For a book with three or more authors, use et al. to represent the second and all subsequent authors.

Author Last name, First name, et al. Title of Book in Italics and Title Case. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Ambrose, Susan A., et al. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. Jossey-Bass, 2010.

For works in an anthology (a compiled collection of readings), and for any other works with a translator or editor, the editors and/or translators are generally listed separately from the author of the work, after the title. Translators may be listed first if the specific act of translating is the element your research discusses. If no author is available, the editor and/or translator is listed in place of the author at the beginning of the citation.

Anthology (author & editors present):

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Poem, Story, or Chapter in Title Case, Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Book in Italics and Title Case, edited by
     First name Last name, Publisher, Year of Publication, page number(s).

Sanders, William. “When This World Is All on Fire.” Space and Place, edited by Focused Inquiry Textbook Committee, 2020-2021 edition, Hayden-Mcneil,
     2020, pp. 323-336.

Edited book (no author present, 2 or more editors):

Editor Last name, First name, et al., editors. Title of Book in Italics and Title Case. Publisher, Year of Publication.

Tallett, Frank et al., editors. European Warfare, 1350-1750. Cambridge UP, 2010.

Translated book (author and translators present):

Author Last name, First name. Title of Book in Italics and Title Case. Translated by First name Last name, Publisher, Year of Publication.

Rumi. The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems. Translated by Coleman Barks, HarperSanFrancisco, 2001.

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Article in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Journal in Italics and Title Case, volume number, issue
     number, Date of Publication, page number(s). Name of Database in Italics and Title Case, DOI.

Chronister, Kay. “‘On the Moon at Last’: We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Female Gothic, and the Lacanian Imaginary.” Gothic Studies, vol. 22, no. 2,
     2020, pp. 131-147. Academic Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.3366/gothic.2020.0045.

Represent the DOI as a hyperlink beginning with https://doi.org/ whenever possible. If the journal article was found online and does not have a DOI, use a permalink or URL in place of the DOI. 

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Article in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Magazine in Italics and Title Case, Date of Publication,
     page number(s) or URL.

Mansky, Jackie. “How One Woman Helped End Lunch Counter Segregation in the Nation’s Capital.” Smithsonian Magazine, 8 June 2016,
     smithsonianmag.com/history/how-one-woman-helped-end-lunch-counter-segregation-nations-capital-180959345/.

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Article in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Name of Newspaper in Italics and Title Case, Date of Publication,
     page number(s) or URL.

Lohmann, Bill. “Old Petersburg library building poised to be transformed into an African-American history museum.” Richmond-Times Dispatch, 29 Jan. 2022,
     https://richmond.com/news/local/old-petersburg-library-building-poised-to-be-transformed-into-an-african-american
     historymuseum/article_aab6f0d0-753c-540d-b7db-ab7d3395e3ff.html.

If an article is printed on nonconsecutive pages, only include the first page number with + (such as 1A+).

Reference with author and editors:

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Entry in Title Case and inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Reference Work in Italics and Title Case, edited by First name
     Last name, edition or version, volume number, Publisher, Year of Publication, page number(s) or URL.

Meier, Robert F. “Deviant Communities.” Encyclopedia of Social Networks, edited by George A. Barnett, vol. 1, Sage, 2011, pp. 210-212.

Reference with no author or editor:

“Title of Entry in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Reference Work in Italics and Title Case, edition or version, volume number, Publisher, Year
     of Publication, page number(s) or URL.

“Dictionary, n. and adj.” Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2022, oed.com.

Author Last name, First name. Review of Title of Book in Italics and Title Case, by Book Author First name, Last name. Title of Publication in Italics and Title
     Case, Date of Publication, page number(s) or URL.

Epstein, Andrew. Review of Changing Subjects: Digressions in Modern American Poetry by Srikanth Reddy. Wallace Stevens Journal, vol. 39, no. 1, Spring
     2015, pp. 121-123.

A book review with a distinct title should be cited as you would any other article in its publication type (i.e. magazine or journal article, etc.).

Band name, or Artist or Composer Last name, First name. “Song Title in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Name of Album in Italics, Contributor or
     Performer, Version, Publisher, Date of Release, URL. Medium of publication optional.

Cyrus, Miley. “Bottom of the Ocean.” Breakout, Platinum Edition, Hollywood Records, 2008.

The Beatles. Let It Be (Remastered). Apple Corps Ltd. and Calderstone Productions Ltd., 2015. Spotify app.

Add the optional medium element only if adding it will enhance the clarity or value of your source for you or your reader.

Specifying the edition as a podcast is optional, but may be of interest if the text can be accessed in multiple formats or if specifying would add clarity for readers.

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Episode in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Podcast in Italics and Title Case, hosted by First name
     Last name if different than author, podcast ed., Publisher or Sponsor, Posting Date, URL or method of access.

Serial Productions. “Chapter I.” S-Town, hosted by Brian Reed, podcast ed., New York Times, 28 Mar. 2017, Spotify app.

Thorn, Jesse. “Benedict Cumberbatch.” Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. Maximum Fun, 28 Dec. 2021,
     https://maximumfun.org/episodes/bullseye-with-jesse-thorn/benedict-cumberbatch/.

Author Last name, First name. Title of Book in Italics and Title Case. Narrated by First name Last name if different than author, audiobook ed., Publisher or
     Sponsor, Publication date.

Herbert, Frank. Dune. Narrated by Scott Brick et al., audiobook ed., Audio Renaissance, 2007.

Title of Film in Italics and Title Case. Directed by First name Last name, performance by Actor First name Last name, Name of Publisher or Studio, Year.
     Medium or method of access optional.

Mr. Turner. Directed by Mike Leigh, performances by Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, and Dorothy Atkinson, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2015. 

Hairspray. Directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman, New Line Cinema, 2007. Netflix, www.netflix.com.

Add the optional medium or method of access element only if adding it will enhance the clarity or value of your source for you or your reader.

“Name of Episode in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Show in Italics and Title Case, created by (or other contribution type) First name Last
     name, season #, episode #, Production Company or Broadcaster, Date of Release. Medium or method of access optional.

“Strange Love.” True Blood, created by Alan Ball, season 1, episode 1, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment and HBO, 7 Sept. 2008.

“An Obol for Charon.” Star Trek: Discovery, created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, season 2, episode 4, Paramount+, 7 Feb. 2019. Paramount+ app.

Add the optional medium or method of access element only if adding it will enhance the clarity or value of your source for you or your reader.

Creator Last name, First name. Title of Work in Italics and Title Case. Date of composition, Name of Institution, Location, URL if viewed online. Format of
     composition optional.

Whistler, James McNeill. Symphony in White, No.1: The White Girl. 1861-62, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.,
     nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.12198.html.

Canova, Antonio. L’Amour et Psyché debout. 1797, Louvre, Paris, https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010091975.

Add the optional format of composition element only if adding it will enhance the clarity or value of your source for you or your reader.

If the work of art is reprinted inside another work, create a second container for the larger work:

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Study of the Muscles of the Trunk and of the Thigh. 1510. Windsor Castle Royal Library. Leonardo: Art and Science, edited by Claudio
      Pescio et al., translated by Catherine Frost, Giunti Gruppo Editoriale, 2001, pp. 98.

Artist Last name, First name or Screen name. Title of Image in Title Case and Italics. Date of Publication. Title of Database or Publication,  URL, file format
     optional.

Fisk400. Bernie with Mittens. 24 Jan 2021. Thingiverse, www.thingiverse.com/thing:4736377, OBJ file.

Jos1etheDog. RVA. 15 May 2016. Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/josiethedog/27051510176.

Add the optional format of composition element only if adding it will enhance the clarity or value of your source for you or your reader.

Title of Software in Italics and Title Case. Version number, Developer, Date of Publication.

iMovie for iOS. Version 2.3.3, Apple, 20 Sept. 2021.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. CD Projekt Red. 18 May 2015.

Creator Last name, First name or Screen name. “Title of Video in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” YouTube or Other Publisher in Italics and Title
     Case, uploaded by Screen name or First name Last name if different than Creator, Date of Publication, URL or app name.

Luksan Wunder. “The Most Unsatisfying Video in the World ever made.” YouTube, 17 Feb. 2017, https://youtu.be/16v2eojZ_l8.

Twitter:

Author Last Name, First name or Screen name [@username]. “Full text of tweet in quotation marks.” Twitter, Date of Publication, URL.

Wil Wheaton [@wilw]. “Okay, now I’m going back to work. Thanks for listening.” Twitter, 16 Nov. 2016, twitter.com/wilw/status/799029592820285440.

TikTok:

Author Last Name, First name or Screen name [@username]. “Title of TikTok in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” TikTok, Date of Publication, URL.

Smithsonian Channel [@smithsonianchannel]. “Hip-hop’s impact on fashion will live on forever.” TikTok, 3 Feb. 2022,
     www.tiktok.com/@smithsonianchannel/video/7060554909103672622.

Author Last name, First name, or Username or Page Name. “Title of Facebook page inside quotation marks.” Facebook, Date of publication if applicable, URL.

“Department of Focused Inquiry, VCU.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/FocusedInquiryVCU/.

Department of Focused Inquiry, VCU. “Peer Mentors are available to help FI students with anything from citations to rehearsing a presentation.” Facebook,
      25 Feb. 2020, www.facebook.com/FocusedInquiryVCU/videos/1761107657358743. 

Last name, First name or Screen name. Photo of Brief description of photo, or “The first several words of the post in quotation marks.” Instagram, Date of
     Publication, URL.

smithsonian. “We’ll give you a little space at the end of the week. This is a white dwarf star and a highly variable red giant.”  Instagram, 4 Feb. 2022,
     www.instagram.com/p/CZjt6Pvr4em/.

nationalparkservice. Photo of a musk ox and a distant mountain range with a rainbow. Instagram, 16 Feb. 2022,
     https://www.instagram.com/p/CaDsQ_erkMl/.

Author Last name, First name or Screen name. “Title of Post in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Reddit or Name of Group or Forum in Italics and
     Title Case, Publisher or Sponsor if different than Title, Date of Publication, URL.

setsails. “Black Barbershops?” Reddit, 23 Oct. 2016, www.reddit.com/r/rva/comments/58zhe4/black_barbershops/.

Author Last name, First name or Screen name. “Title of Post in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Name of Blog in Italics and Title Case, Publisher or
     Sponsor, Date of Publication, URL.

Raider, Tom. “21 Quirky Aussie Animals.” Yellowblogtopus, Yellow Octopus, 21 Mar. 2019, https://blog.yellowoctopus.com.au/quirky-aussie-animals/.

This format should not be used for social media posts published on their own pages or with independent URLs (for example, a reply tweet or a direct mention of another user in an Instagram post). This format should be used only for comments that are published directly on the original page or post being commented on, such as a comment on a YouTube video, a blog comment, or a comment on an online article with commenting enabled.

Commenter Last Name, First name or Screen name [@username if applicable]. “Title of Comment If Present in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks” or Comment on “Title of Post in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Publisher or Medium of Access in Italics and Title Case. Publisher, Organization, or Sponsor (if different from title), Date of Publication, Time of publication if applicable, URL.

Murphy, Daniela. Comment on “The Most Unsatisfying Video in the World ever made.” YouTube, 2021. https://youtu.be/16v2eojZ_l8.

Knuckle Down. Comment on “Old Petersburg library building poised to be transformed into an African-American history museum.” Richmond-Times Dispatch, 29 Jan. 2022, richmond.com/news/local/old-petersburg-library-building-poised-to-be-transformed-into-an-african-american-history-museum/article_aab6f0d0-753c-540d-b7db-ab7d3395e3ff.html?mode=comments.

Speaker Last name, First name. “Title of Presentation in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Conference or Meeting in Italics and Title Case,
     Name of Organization or Sponsor, Date of Presentation, Venue, City.

Hogan, Linda. “The Great Line: The Long Connection of Earth and Other Beings.” ASLE Eleventh Biennial Conference, The Association for the Study of
     Literature and Environment, 24 June 2015, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.

Speaker Last name, First name. Lecture. Title of Course, Date of Presentation, Institution, City. 

Padon, Dali. Lecture. Focused Inquiry II, 2 February 2022, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

“Title of Notes in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Name of Course in Title Case, taught by First name Last name. Name of LMS in Italics and Title
     Case, Name of Institution, Date of Publication, URL.

“Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program Spring 2022 All Hands on Deck Meeting.” Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program, taught by Amber
     Pearson and Ryan Cales. Canvas, Virginia Commonwealth University, ts.vcu.edu/askit/teaching-and-learning/canvas/.

If the email is personal:

Author Last name, First name. Email to author or to Recipient First name, Last name or to Name of Group. Date sent.

Pallo, Vicki. Email to Textbook Committee. 14 Feb. 2022.

If the email is a newsletter: [su_spacer]

“Title or Subject of Email in Title Case and Inside Quotation Marks.” Title of Newsletter in Italics and Title Case, Publisher or Sponsor, Date sent. Email optional.

“Black History Month, Washington Commanders, research rankings.” VCU News, Virginia Commonwealth University, 3 Feb. 2022. Email.

Add the optional email element only if adding it will enhance the clarity or value of your source for you or your reader.

When you conducted the interview:
Interviewee Last name, First name. Personal interview with the author, Date of Interview.

When someone else conducted the interview:

Interviewee Last name, First name. Interview. Conducted by Interviewer FIrst name, Last name, Date of interview.

For interviews of multiple people, list all interviewees. Published interviews should be cited according to their publication type; for example, an interview published as part of a TV news broadcast should be cited as an episode of a television show, or an interview in a podcast should be cited as an episode of a podcast.

Government report published by the organization that authored the report:

Government or Department name, Title of Report in Italics and Title Case. Agency or Governing body or Office name(s), Date of Publication, report
     number, URL.

U.S. House of Representatives. Staff Report: What the Next Congress Should Do to Prevent a Recurrence of the Equifax Data Breach. Committee on
      Oversight and Government Reform and Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 10 Dec. 2018, science.house.gov/staff-reports/what-the-next
      congress-should-do-to-prevent-a-reccurence-of-the-equifax-data-breach.

Government report published by a distinct publisher and stored in a database:

Government name, Agency or Governing body or Office name(s). Title of Report in Italics and Title Case. Publisher, Date of Publication, report number.
     Name of Database in Italics and Title Case, URL.

United States, Congress, House, Committee on Government Operations. Government Operations In Space (Analysis of Civil-Military Roles and
     Relationships). U.S. Government Printing Office, 4 Jun. 1965. 89th Congress, 1st Session, House Report 445. HeinOnline, heinonline.org.

Author Last name, First name. Title of Dissertation or Thesis in Italics and Title Case. Year of Publication, University or Sponsor, Degree dissertation or
     thesis. Title of Database if applicable in Italics and Title Case, URL if applicable.

Ogston-Nobile, Paula L. The Division of Family Work Among Fathers and Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications for Parents and
     Family Functioning. 2014. Virginia Commonwealth University, PhD dissertation. VCU Scholars Compass, scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi
     article=4429&context=etd.

Given that so much content is now accessed via the web, writers should cite according to the type of content: newspaper, magazine, scholarly journal, instagram, etc., all of which have the option to add a URL. See the relevant model elsewhere on this page for formatting guidelines specific to your source.