How to Cite Literature Properly for Writing in GEP 115
Any information you present in written work that comes from a source besides your original thinking
(e.g., information from the Internet, class readings, books, newspapers, magazines, videos, scientific journals or
other sources where another person presented the idea) must be cited according to the instructions below IN
THE TEXT and IN A LITERATURE CITED SECTION AT THE END OF THE PAPER.
All literature cited in your writing must be clearly and accurately referenced in the format used by the
journal Ecology, as shown below. List citations alphabetically (no numbering) by the first author’s last name at the
end of your paper, and include only those works that provided the ideas mentioned in the text of your paper (in other
words, a Literature Cited section is NOT the same as a Bibliography). In the text, cite references using the author’s
last name and year each time you present an idea that is not yours (e.g., Jones 2006). Minimize quotes by
paraphrasing information from your references. If you do quote someone directly, put the refrain in quotation marks
and cite it, e.g., "...carbon dioxide is the major greenhouse gas" (Smith 1998). When paraphrasing a source, cite this
way: Brown and Jones (2007) concluded that the measurements of Barkly et al. (1999) were inaccurate.
Use only the formats below for citing references in your Literature Cited section. Note the exact way each
type of citation is to be written in the Literature Cited and in the text of your paper relative to the number of authors,
order and type of entries, underlining, abbreviation, punctuation, etc. Incorrect citation styles will lower your
position paper’s grade.
Examples of the correct format for use in the text when citing references are as follows:
One author
“Male Harris’s Sparrows actively defend their breeding territories (Jones 1985).” Or:
“Jones (1985) documented the territorial behavior of male Harris’s Sparrows.”
Two authors
"Male Harris’s Sparrows actively defend their breeding territories (Jones and Smith 1985).”
More than two authors
"Male Harris’s Sparrows actively defend their breeding territories (Jones et al. 1985).”
Two or more separate works
"Male Harris’s Sparrows actively defend their breeding territories (Jones et al. 1985, Smith 1995).”
Note that the more recent paper is given last.
Examples of the correct format for use in the Literature Cited section are as follows:
Journal article
Author(s). Year published. Title. Journal. Volume: pages.
Buttner, J.K., J.C. Makarewicz, and T.W. Lewis. 1995. Concentration of selected priority organic contaminants in
fish maintained on formulated diets in Lake Ontario waters. Progressive Fish-Culturist 57: 141-146.
Book
Author(s). Year published. Title. Edition (if applicable). Publisher, City, State.
Merritt, R.W., and K.W. Cummins. 1996. An introduction to the aquatic insects of North America. Third Edition.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Dubuque, Iowa.
Chapter in book
Author(s). Year published. Chapter title. Pages in book, name of editor. Book title. Publisher, City, State.
Nickum, J.G. 1993. Walleye. Pages 115-126 in R. R. Stickney, editor. Culture of nonsalmonid freshwater fishes.
CRC Press. Boca Raton, Florida.
Government document
Author(s) or Agency. Year published. Document title. Agency name. Document number. City. State.
USEPA. 2006. Persistent Toxic Chemical Contamination of the Great Lakes. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Document 06-24-1. Washington, D.C.
World Wide Web (Internet) sources
These should be used sparingly. Many web sites are scientifically suspect. In addition, use only those sites that are
more or less permanent, although this may be difficult to determine.
Author(s). Year posted. Title, version. [Online.] Organization, City, State. Available at:
Sauer, J. R., G. Gough, I. Thomas, and B. Peterjohn. 1997. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, version
96.1. [Online.] Pautuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland. Available at
http://www.mbr.nbs.gov/bbs/bbs.html.
NOTE: information obtained by verbal correspondence or from unpublished material is not considered
"literature," but may be referenced as (personal communication, individual, affiliation): Example—Aardvarks are
not capable of insight learning (personal communication, Dr. Jane Doe, Department of Environmental Science and
Biology, The College at Brockport, SUNY)
Scientific Names and Units of Measurement
The scientific (binomial) name must be used the first time any organism is mentioned in a paper; common
names can then be used by themselves. Because scientific names are in Latin, they should be either underlined or in
italics, as in: We studied Harris’s Sparrows (Zonotrichia querula) near Lawrence, Kansas.
Always use metric units and their abbreviations! Some of the more common ones are:
km = kilometers
m = meters
cm = centimeters
mm = millimeters
ha = hectares
s = seconds
min = minutes
h = hours
d = days
y = years
mg = milligrams
g = grams
kg = kilograms
l = liters
ml = milliliters
Use the following rules when reporting numbers. When reporting counts (number of items), write out
numbers < 11 (one aardvark, nine eggs, etc). Numbers > 10 should be in numerals (11 newts, 30 wombats, etc).
When reporting measurements with units (days, meters, liters, seconds, kilograms, etc), always use numerals, as in
1.0 m, 5 ha, 3 s, etc. The only exception to these rules is that you cannot use a numeral when starting a sentence.
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