Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Prepare to reference a PDF
• Method 2 of 4: Cite according to the MLA style
• Method 3 of 4: Cite according to APA guidelines
• Method 4 of 4: Cite according to the Chicago Manual of Style
• Tips

There are several places where you can download a pdf (portable document format) in your work. PDFs can contain anything, as long as they are saved as a PDF file. Comics, haiku, government documents, and multipart books can all be saved as PDF. For academic works, you will most likely come into contact with journal articles and e-books in the form of a PDF. So, this article focuses on referencing magazine articles and ebooks in the three most popular citation styles: MLA, APA, and the Chicago Manual of Style. In most cases, you don't even have to indicate that you are using a PDF file.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Prepare to reference a PDF

1. Collect all relevant information. For citations in the body of text as well as references in a bibliography, you need some basic information about the source.
   • Journal Articles: What you should note is the author name, article title, journal name, volume number, edition number, date of publication, page numbers of the physical version, and the link to the article.
   • E-books: What you should note is the author name, the title of the book, the publisher, the place of publication, the year of publication, the date you viewed it, and the website where the e-book can be found. Sometimes physical book publishers outsource ebook production. In that case, a separate publisher is listed for the e-book. You must then have the information from both publishers.
2. Choose your citation style. The most popular styles for academic and professional work are MLA, APA and the Chicago Manual of Style (sometimes called "Turabian" after the editor of the manual). Choose a style that is used by your field, or that is preferred in your profession or workplace.
   • Use MLA if you are studying in literature, arts, or general humanities.
   • Use APA if you are studying in the fields of psychology, education, linguistics, or other social sciences. Journalism and communications also regularly use APA.
   • Use the Chicago Manual of Style if you are studying in the fields of history, political science, computer science, journalism, or communications. A form of the chicago style is also often used in publication and editing.
   • In some cases, the publisher may ask for a specific citation style that is not commonly used in the field, or you may even need to follow your own in-house style guide. So always use the style that is necessary for your work.
3. Immediately after a reference to a work, insert a citation in the body of the text. If you don't want to be accused of plagiarism, you will need to include citations in your text. The purpose of these citations is to let the reader know that certain information comes from other writers. It also shows that you are familiar with the existing literature and that you are willing to build on the work of others.
   • Where exactly the citation should be, and what it should look like, depends on the style you use. Examples for the most popular styles are discussed in this article.
4. Format your bibliography correctly. Learn how to compile a bibliography or reference list. The guidelines you follow depend on your chosen citation style. Usually you will have to list your sources alphabetically.
   • The location of the title, the design, and the space between each source will differ depending on whether you are using MLA, APA, or the Chicago Manual of Style.

Method 2 of 4: Cite according to the MLA style

1. Find the author. For a full MLA citation, find the author of your PDF and, if possible, the page number of your reference. If you already mention the author in the body of the text, all you have to do is add the page number in brackets: According to Spiers, universities have become far too expensive (48). If you don't, include both the author's last name and the page number at the end of your sentence or quote: Some argue that universities have become far too expensive (Spiers 48).
   • If there are two authors, put their last names in parentheses with “and” between them, followed by the page number: Dogs evolved simultaneously with humans (Draper and Simpson 68).
   • If there are more than two authors, put commas between the authors' surnames, followed by the page number: Embroidery should be considered “fine art” (Kozinsky, King, and Chappell 56).
   • If no author is listed, use the name of the organization: Dinosaurs became extinct millions of years ago (Smithsonian 21).
   • If no organization is also mentioned, start your citation with the title of the work: According to experts, energy drinks should not be overused (“The Impact of Caffeine Consumption” 102).
   • MLA citations in the body of the text do not indicate whether your source is a PDF file or not.
   • In all these cases, the citation comes before the last punctuation of the sentence.
2. Find the page numbers. Some ebooks and PDFs have fixed page numbers, which don't change when you change pages. If your document has fixed page numbers, use them in your citation. If you don't see them, don't include page numbers. You can then use the chapter or section.
   • For example, you can quote a PDF without page numbering by referring to the section: According to Blankenship, caffeine consumption should be limited to 200mg per day (ch. 2).
   • If your PDF or ebook does not have sections or page numbers, use the work as a whole and do not include page numbers: Blankenships' Caffeine Use Study, "Too Jittery, Joe?" States that caffeine consumption should be limited to 200mg per day.
3. Refer to ebooks in an MLA bibliography. As per the MLA guidelines, you must specify the file type you used for ebooks, such as "PDF file" or "Kindle file".
   • The default format is: Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Book title. Location of publication: Publisher, Publication year, ebook publisher, ebook publication year. File type.
   • For example: Smith, John. The Fantastic Novel. London: Great Publishing House, 2010. Google Books, 2011. PDF file. December 1, 2012.
   • If your ebook is not a PDF file, please use the file type you used. For example: Smith, John. The Fantastic Novel. London: Great Publishing House, 2010. Kindle file.
4. Refer to journal articles in an MLA bibliography. Refer to journal articles that you have requested online in your bibliography, using the publication information that you would also use for physical articles. This is followed by the name of the online database where you found the article, the medium (in this case: "Web"), and the date you opened the file.
   • The default format is: Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. “Article title”. Magazine name Volume number. Release number (Publication date): page numbers. “Database name”. Medium. Date opened.
   • For example: Doe, Jane. Interesting Citation Article. Journal of Citation Information 4.7 (2006): 82-5. Academic Access Premier. Web. November 20, 2012.
5. Note whether the journal article comes from a completely online journal. Some academic journals now only publish online, and no longer give their publications page numbering. If your PDF is from an online magazine and has no page numbers, follow the standard format but replace the page numbers with the words "no page."
   • For example: Doe, Jane. Interesting Citation Article. Online Journal of Citation Information 4.7 (2006): g. p. Web. November 20, 2012.

Method 3 of 4: Cite according to APA guidelines

1. Make a good APA reference in body. Write the author (last name or name of the organization) and the year in brackets, with a comma in between. If you quoted directly from the text, add "p.", A space, then the page number where the quote came from. If you have already mentioned the author in the paraphrase or quote, only include the year in parentheses after the name (and put the page number in parentheses at the end of the quote, if applicable). Always place the reference before the last punctuation of the sentence. If there are two or three authors in parentheses, use "&" instead of "and". You do not have to indicate that your source is a PDF file.
   • For example: Experts in higher education believe that "education is the most powerful weapon with which to change the world" (Mandela 1996, p. 35).
   • If your file does not have page numbers and you are still using a direct quote, please include the paragraph number: Higher education experts believe that "education is the most powerful weapon with which to change the world" (Mandela 1996, par. 18).
   • You can also use an abbreviated heading in double quotes: Experts in higher education believe that “education is the most powerful weapon to change the world” (Mandela, 1996, “A few words on education”).
2. Format references to ebooks correctly in APA format for your bibliography. In the APA style, you must state the file type in square brackets, such as [Dataset] or [PowerPoint presentation]. Also, if you are using a proprietary ebook format such as Kindle, be sure to mention this.
   • The default format is: Author's Last Name, Author's Initial. (Publication year). Book title [pdf document]. Available on:
   • For example: Smith, J. (2011). The fantastic novel [PDF file]. Available at: http://www.books.google.com
   • For a proprietary file type, also indicate the version of the e-reader in square brackets: Smith, J. (2011). The fantastic novel [Kindle DX file]. Available at the address http://www.books.google.com
3. Format references to journal articles correctly in APA format for your bibliography. The APA style does not use capital letters for every word in the title of magazine articles. So you only capitalize the first word of the title. Also do not put quotation marks around the title.
   • The default format is: Author's Last Name, Author's Initial. (Publication year). Title of article [pdf file]. Magazine name, volume number(issue number), page numbers. Received on:
   • For example: Doe, J. (2006). Interesting citation article [pdf file]. Online Journal of Citation Information, 4(3), 82-5. Obtained from: http://www.random-example-URL.com
   • Note that the volume number is in italics, but the issue number (in brackets) is not!
   • If your article has a DOI number, put it at the end of your citation.

Method 4 of 4: Cite according to the Chicago Manual of Style

1. Use footnotes according to the Chicago Manual of Style. Add a superscript number at the end of the sentence. This is called a footnote. In MS Word you add a footnote by clicking "Insert" and then "Insert Footnote". You can then type a corresponding note at the bottom of the page.
   • For ebooks, use this format: Author name (first, then last name), Book title (Location of publication: Publisher, Publication year), page number, web address.
   • For example: In the past, thinkers like H.G. Wells argued that "human history is increasingly a race between education and catastrophe." [put your footnote here] At the bottom of the page, by the corresponding number, write: H.G. Wells, The Outline of History (London: MacMillan, 1921), 1100, http://www.books.google.com.
   • For magazine articles in PDF format, you do not need to indicate the file type in your footnotes. Use this format: Author name (first first, then last name), “Article Title”, Journal title Volume number, Release number (Publication date): Page number.
   • For example, Natalie Zemon Davis argues in her article "The Rites of Violence" that religious insurgents saw their own violence as a "form of purification." [footnote here] At the bottom of the page, by the corresponding song, write: Natalie Zemon Davis, “The Rites of Violence: Religious Riot in Sixteenth-Century France” Past & Present 59, No. 3 (1973): 51.
2. Reference an ebook in your bibliography according to the Chicago Manual of Style. The default format is: Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Book title. Location of publication: Publisher, Date of publication. File type. Web address.
   • For example: Smith, John. The Fantastic Novel. London: Great Publishing House, 2010. pdf ebook. http://www.books.google.com.
3. Reference a journal article in your bibliography according to the Chicago Manual of Style. You do not need to state the file type here. Always provide the DOI or web address.
   • The default format is: Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. "Article title." Magazine name Volume number, Release number (Publication date): Page numbers. DOI:
   • For example: Doe, Jane. Interesting Citation Article. Online Journal of Citation Information 4, no.7 (2006): 82-5. doi: 12345 / abc123-456.
   • If you don't have a DOI number, use this format: Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. "Article title." Magazine name Volume number, Release number (Publication date): Page numbers. Date opened. Web address:
   • For example: Doe, Jane. Interesting Citation Article. Online Journal of Citation Information 4, no.7 (2006): 82-5. Accessed November 20, 2012. Web address: http://www.random-example-URL.com.

Tips

• You will likely come across PDF files that do not match the examples in this article. For example, the author's name is not listed, or the document is not an ebook or journal article. You should then consult a more extensive source. On Scribbr you can find a lot of useful information about citing sources. You can also look for a physical version of your style guide in a library.