Have you been wondering how you can cite a PDF document? You are on the right post. Here I will tell you how to cite a PDF using various Citing formats but before that;
How Do You Cite A PDF
There are five citation styles you can use namely, MLA, APA, Oxford, Harvard, and Chicago Manual Style format. Depending on the style you choose, the citation should include the author’s name, the title of the work, the publisher and the year the content was published. Afterwards, write the website where the pdf was downloaded from (this should include the name of the site followed by the URL of the website).
Each of these Citation techniques has its advantages as well as disadvantages. Here, in this article, we are going to talk about the 3 most used Citation techniques. I will show you how you can prepare a PDF document before beginning with Citation so let’s begin with our Article.
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Preparing the PDF for Citation
Before beginning the citing of PDF in any format. The first step is to collect some important information from the PDF. This information will help us to properly cite inline and Bibliographic Citation. This information includes the Author’s Name, Title of the Article, its publication date, the name of the Journal, etc in case of Journal Articles. In the case of ebooks, you should note the Author’s name. Also note its publication date, the source website of the ebooks, its Title, etc. You should note any information you think is important for citations.
So, the next step you have to do for the preparation is to choose the citation format you want the PDF to cite. The 3 most used citing techniques are The MLA format, the APA format, and the Chicago manual writing format. These techniques or formats are based on your field, profession or workplace. Don’t worry if you don’t know how and where to use these techniques to cite a PDF. Below I have written a few use cases for the three formats which we are going to discuss.
- APA (American Psychological Association):- This format is specifically for education, linguistics, or other social sciences. Journalism, communication, and Psychology studies.
- MLA format:- This format is specifically for Literature, Arts or Humanities studies.
- Chicago Manual Writing format:- This format is specifically for history, political science, information science.
So, I guess now you know which Style is best for citing a pdf in your profession. So let’s now learn ‘How to cite a PDF’ using any of these styles/techniques/formats.
Citing a PDF using various Techniques
In this section, I will show you the use of the 3 Citing Styles that we have discussed above. I will also tell you some advantages and disadvantages of using these Citing styles for a PDF. This will help you to choose and learn a Citing style of your preference. So, let us now start with methods to Cite a PDF.
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Cite a PDF using APA format
APA or American Psychological Association cite format is the most preferred format/Style for Citing a PDF in Psychological and other educational studies. So, the advantages of using the APA style is that it is Straight-forward, Streamline and has an overall uniformity. Some of its disadvantages are that it is a bit Complex, Complicating and Disruptive. So, let us learn ‘How to Cite a PDF’ in APA style/format.
- Firstly, insert the in-line reference by writing the Author name and year in parenthesis separated by a comma.
- Secondly, mention the type of file you are consulting for the bibliographic Citation in Square brackets.
- The basic format for Ebook PDF is – Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. (Year of publication). ‘’Book title’’ [PDF document]. Available from a web address.
- The basic format for Journal PDF is – Author’s last name, Author’s first initial. (Year of publication). Title of article [PDF file]. Journal title, volume number(issue number), page numbers. Retrieved from a web address.
Example of Ebook’s PDF Citation:- Clarke, John. (2011). An Interesting novel [PDF file]. Available from http://www.books.google.com
Example of Journal PDF Citation:- Simon, Joe. (2006). A citation article [PDF file]. Online Journal of Citation Information, 4(3), 82-5. Retrieved from http://www.random-example-URL.com
Cite a PDF using MLA format
MLA format/style for citing a PDF is the most preferred Citing technique for Literature, Arts or Humanities studies. The Advantage of using MLA style for citing is that it has fewer rules as compared to other techniques. It is also preferred for Essay-styled writing. The disadvantage of the MLA citing format is that it is mainly for lengthier texts. Also, there are many rules for citing sources in a PDF. So let us now look at ‘How to Cite a PDF’ in MLA style/format.
- Firstly, mention the Author for the in-line citation. Write the Author and Page number together at the end of Line.
- Secondly, mention the page number or chapter number if no page number is given.
- The basic format for bibliographic citing for an Ebook PDF is. Author’s last name, Author’s first name. ‘’Book Title’’. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Ebook publisher, Year of Ebook publication. File type.
- The basic format for bibliographic citing for a Journal PDF is. Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Article title.” Journal Title Volume number.Issue number (Date of publication): page numbers. Database name. Medium. Date of access.
Example of Ebook’s PDF Citation:- Clarke, John. An Interesting novel, London: Great Publishing House, 2010. Google Books, 2011. PDF file. 1 December 2012.
Example of Journal PDF Citation:- Simon, Joe. “A Citation Article.” Journal of Citation Information 4.7 (2006): 82-5. Academic Access Premier. Web. 20 November 2012.
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Cite a PDF using Chicago Manual Writing format
Chicago Manual Writing format/style for citing a PDF is the most preferred Citing technique for history, political science, information science. The Advantage of using this style for citing is that it reflects the advancement of computer technology and the Internet. It also includes new sections on preparing e-publications and guidance on citing electronic sources. So, let us have a look at ‘How to Cite a PDF’ in the Chicago Manual Writing style/format.
- Firstly, add a Superscript number at the end of the line. This is also known as Footnote of the line.
- The basic format for bibliographic citing for an Ebook PDF. Author’s last name, Author’s first name. Book TitlePDF file. Place of publication: Publisher, Date of publication. File type. Web address.
- The basic format for bibliographic citing for a Journal PDF is – Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Article title.” Journal title Volume number, Issue number (Date of publication): page numbers.
Example of Ebook’s PDF Citation:- Clarke, John. An Interesting Novel. London: Great Publishing House, 2010. PDF e-book.http://www.books.google.com.
Example of Journal PDF Citation:- Simon, Joe. “A Citation Article.” Online Journal of Citation Information 4, no. 7 (2006): 82-5.
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Some PDF Citing Resources
So, you have successfully learned How to Cite a PDF using all the mentioned Styles or Formats. Also, there are some sites on the Internet. You can get some automation tools or some resources that may help you to Cite a PDF. So to can get references or automatic Citations of your PDF refer below.
- https://apaformat.org/apa-pdf-citation/
- http://www.citethisforme.com/cite/ebook
- http://www.easybib.com/
So I hope you have understood every method listed above. You can now easily Cite any PDF implementing these styles. If you have any queries or doubts. Feel free to use the comments section below. I’ll be always ready to help you there. I hope now you don’t have to search anywhere ‘How to Cite a PDF’ on the Internet anymore.
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