Praxis Core Research Skills Guide: Recognize Citation Elements
A guide to resources for students preparing to take the Praxis Core with a focus on Research Skills for the Writing Test
Praxis Study Guides
The descriptive information about the Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing section of the Praxis Core includes the expectation that students will be able to "recognize the different elements of a citation".
The sample questions & exercises in various Praxis study guides indicate that students should be able to:
- Look at a citation and recognize whether it is a citation for a book, journal article, magazine article, web site, etc.
- Cite their sources when paraphrasing or quoting in a short essay (name of author, name of article/book, name of publication, plus "other clear identifiers").
It is recommended that you cite sources within the body of the text by either:
- Providing a signal phrase (According to . . .) that includes the author's name or
- By writing the last name of the author in parentheses ( ) at the end of the sentence before the period.
Citations
- Understanding CitationsFrom Nova Southeastern U.
Citing Tutorials
- Citation GamePlay an interactive game and learn how to correctly format APA or MLA citations for some of the most commonly used citation types--from the U. of Washington
NOTE: APA citations are incorrect because they include the authors first name rather than just the initials - Citation Tic-Tac-ToeTest yourself with this game from James Madison U.
Citation Exercise
- List of CitationsPrint out this list of citations
Mark the books with a B
Mark scholarly articles with an S
Mark chapters in a book with a C
Mark government publications with a G
There will be some unmarked citations for other types of publications. - Answer SheetCheck your answers
Possible Test Items
One study guide includes items relating to:
- The 2 standard citation formats for research papers in American schools (MLA & APA)
- Sources that do NOT need to be cited (such as dictionaries, etc.)
- The correct way to block quote
- Citing a source with 6 or more authors
- Which citation elements are in italics versus which elements are in quotation marks
It is recommended that you review both MLA & APA citation styles.