Case in point: you can do the bulk of your research online without having to step into a library to request periodicals, pull down reference books, or mess with weighty tomes. Yet, there is one thing that hasn’t gotten easier and that is citing your sources.

Thankfully, citing sources can be a bit easier to do when you use a nifty online tool that can help you input all of the information needed and output a useful citation.

One tool I like to use is the Son of Citation Machine, which was originally developed for K-12 teachers way back in the year 2000. Part of The Landmark Project, this tool has gone through significant revisions in 2004 and 2006, to produce a solid citation generator you’ll want to use for your next term paper or other citable project.

Using the Citation Machine is easy, involving three quick steps:

1. Click the citation format you need (MLA, Chicago, APA, or Turabian) and then the type of resource you wish to cite,
2. Complete the Web form that appears with information from your source, and
3. Click “Make Citations” to generate standard bibliographic and in-text citations.

That’s it! You now have a usable citation that even Professor Bottomley will be pleased to read.

Please keep in mind if using APA or MLA styles to check the output carefully as there can be subtle differences in the way a citation is rendered and what is needed.  Most colleges require APA style, so you won’t have to concern yourself with the others, until after you graduate (if ever).

Photo Credit: J.G.