The Elements of Citation
The elements are things like author and title that are to be used when creating the citation. These elements should all come from the work being used and not outside resources; you find them on the title page and such.
Each element is followed by a specific piece of punctuation in the citation.
Element | Punctuation |
Author / Creator | . (period) |
Title of Source | . (period) |
Title of Container | , (comma) |
Contributor (editors, producers, etc.) | , (comma) |
Version / Edition | , (comma) |
Number (issue or other) | , (comma) |
Publisher | , (comma) |
Publication date | , (comma) |
Location (city, URL, or a page number) | . (period) |
The Author / Creator is the person that created the piece, be that author, composer, artist, etc.
The Title of the source is the title given for the resource, be that a title of a book, name of a song, or name of an artwork.
Title of the container is the name for the larger work containing the resource being used. This may be the title of an album, name of a play, name of a museum, or title of a journal.
Contributors are people responsible for the publishing, distribution, or viewing of the source. This may be an editor, director, translator, or even a specific performer being highlighted in your work.
Version may be a reference to a specific edition or version of the work (2nd ed, eBook, extended track, or Director's Cut).
Number refers, most often, to the volume and edition of a journal, but may refer to 2nd series of a book or the like.
Publisher is the name of the person, group, or company responsible for the resource being presented or published (the broadcaster or publishing company).
Publication date is the date of the final form of the resource, its publication date, performance date or the start date of a exhibition.
Location is the space or time marker of the resource. This is often the page number from a book or journal. This may be the city of the publishing company or city where a performance took place. This may also be a time stamp for a scene in a movie or the URL/DOI of a database.