Skip to Main Content

HS CIC: Glossary of Terms

Commonly Used Terms

Annotated Bibliography - Full source information in a citation followed by an explanation of the source: a short summary, its benefits and limitations, and how the information will be used. An excellent way to keep track of sources and their value during the early research stage

APA - American Psychological Association style of formatting, used in the Sciences and Social Sciences; Emphasizes the date of publication

Appendix - A section at the end of a paper that includes supplementary material. For example, raw data, interview questions and responses, consent forms, etc.

Bibliography - A list of all sources consulted for a paper

Citation - a quotation from or reference to a book, paper, or author, especially in a scholarly work. It includes source information and can be formatted in different styles (i.e., MLA, APA).

In-text Citation - Source information included in the flow of a sentence

MLA - Modern Language Association style of formatting, used throughout AISC and generally in university for Humanities; Emphasizes the author versus publication date

Parenthetical Citation - Source information included inside parentheses 

Reference - As a verb, to refer or point to a particular source or idea. As a noun, the shortened version of a source where information was found.

References - The title for the page of sources used in a paper in APA format

Works Cited - The title for the page of sources used in a paper in MLA format