Welcome to Citation Tutor’s citation instruction. Using the technique of guided learning, the Tutor has devised an exercise that allows you both to gauge and to improve your proficiency in citing and assessing sources.
Divided into six sections, Citation Tutor allows you to go at your own pace and to return to the site to review explanations or complete an additional section when you have time. Each section, covering one or two topics, includes a number of multiple choice questions for you to answer. Jot down your answers on a piece of paper so that you can refer to them after you have completed a section. At the end of each section the Tutor provides the correct answers to which you should compare your own. After you have entered your answers for each question, you will find an explanation for the correct answer, as well as some helpful hints to assist you in subsequent questions and links to websites to further explore the topics.
As you move through the questions, you may find that you need to refer to other sources to find the answers. To get the most out of this exercise, do not simply guess the answer. Investigate first! Two great places to start with any questions you may have are the GMU Library website (http://library.gmu.edu) and the GMU Writing Center (http://writingcenter.gmu.edu). You may want to keep these windows open, in order to refer to them, as you proceed.
The exercise below focuses mostly on APA and MLA styles, but touches on areas of commonality with other formats like Chicago style and should help familiarize you with the principles underlying citation formats in general.
Good luck and good learning!