List all of the information you can about your source. Include the author's name, the title of the publication, publication date, where it was published and who published it (if it is a book). Write the editor's name (if there is an editor), the book/journal/magazine/newspaper title in which it was included, the edition number (for books), and the volume and issue number for journals/newspapers/magazines. Most of this information can be found at the beginning or end of a publication, such as the first few pages of a book, or on the title page of an article.
Borrow or buy the appropriate handbook or manual of style that explains the form of the citation you must follow. For example, most liberal arts and humanities essays will follow the citation requirements from the Modern Language Association, and social science papers will follow the American Psychological Association's formatting style. The Chicago Manual of Style citation form also is used in the humanities.
Include the author's name and the page number of the publication from which you obtained the information when you cite an author within the text of your report or essay. Each style of formatting has different requirements for how and where in-text citations should be typed.
Type your source's information according to the citation style of your paper in a bibliography or "works cited" list. Place the list at the end of your paper. Generally, sources are included in alphabetical order, using the author's last name.