The purpose of a citation is to provide the reader with information to find the source of the author's facts or ideas. A citation includes, at the very least, the title, author, source of publication, and date of publication.
Citation styles, such as MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian, are sets of rules that determine how citations are formatted. Different disciplines favor certain styles, so check with your professor if you are unsure which format to use for your coursework.
