How can you reference food science sources in different formats?

1 APA style

APA (American Psychological Association) style is widely used in the social and behavioral sciences, including food science. APA style requires in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your document. In-text citations include the author's last name and the year of publication, and sometimes a page number if you quote a source. For example:

According to Smith (2020), food science is "the study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of food" (p. 3).

The reference list should be alphabetized by the author's last name and include the full details of each source. For example:

Smith, J. (2020). Introduction to food science. New York, NY: Wiley.

2 MLA style

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is commonly used in the humanities, especially in language and literature. MLA style also requires in-text citations and a works cited list at the end of your document. In-text citations include the author's last name and the page number where you found the information, and no punctuation between them. For example:

Food science is "the study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of food" (Smith 3).

The works cited list should be alphabetized by the author's last name and include the full details of each source. For example:

Smith, John. Introduction to Food Science. Wiley, 2020.

3 Chicago style

Chicago style is a versatile citation style that can be used in various disciplines, including food science. Chicago style has two main variants: notes and bibliography, and author-date. Notes and bibliography uses footnotes or endnotes to cite sources, and a bibliography to list them. Author-date uses parenthetical citations and a reference list. For example:

Notes and bibliography:

Food science is "the study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of food."^1

1. John Smith, Introduction to Food Science (New York: Wiley, 2020), 3.

Bibliography:

Smith, John. Introduction to Food Science. New York: Wiley, 2020.

Author-date:

Food science is "the study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of food" (Smith 2020, 3).

Reference list:

Smith, John. 2020. Introduction to Food Science. New York: Wiley.

4 Harvard style

Harvard style is a generic term for a citation style that uses the author-date system, similar to APA style. However, there are some variations in the details, such as punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviations. Therefore, it is important to check the specific guidelines of your institution or journal before using Harvard style. For example:

Food science is "the study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of food" (Smith, 2020, p. 3).

Reference list:

Smith, J. (2020) Introduction to food science. New York: Wiley.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?