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Citing your sources is essential for your IB coursework – it not only helps you avoid plagiarism but also strengthens the credibility of your work. In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about citing properly.
IB Citing Guide
How to cite?
As an IB student, you must include references in your coursework whenever you use ideas that aren’t your own, no matter whether it is data, text, or an image. This applies not only to direct quotes but also to information you paraphrase. You do not however need to cite your own analysis or any information you’ve personally gathered.
When citing, include the reference right after you mention it, like so:
''The Industrial Revolution had a profound impact on urbanisation, leading to rapid population growth in cities as people moved in search of work (Griffin, 2014). This shift resulted in overcrowded living conditions and poor sanitation, which contributed to the spread of diseases.''
In the first sentence, a fact from Griffin’s work is introduced, so the citation "(Griffin, 2014)" is included immediately after the referenced information. However, since the following sentences continue discussing the same topic and clearly build on the same source, there is no need to repeat the citation unless a new source is introduced or there is a significant break in the discussion.
It is also very important to include a bibliography at the end of your work, listing all the sources you have referenced in full citation format, arranged alphabetically. A full citation for the source above would look the following way:
Griffin, E. (2014). The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561 [Accessed 24 Feb. 2025].
Which referencing style should I use?
The citation example above follows Harvard referencing style. But which style should you use for your IB coursework? The IB doesn’t require students to use a specific referencing style, so you’re free to choose whichever recognized academic style you prefer (MLA, APA, Harvard, Chicago, etc.).
That said, some general conventions have emerged over time regarding which styles are best suited to different subjects. Typically, APA is recommended for the sciences, while Harvard or Chicago is preferred for humanities subjects.
Footnotes or in-text citations?
Students often wonder when to use footnotes and when to use in-text citations. The IB doesn’t provide specific guidelines on this, but a general rule of thumb is to use footnotes for scientific papers and in-text citations for humanities papers. In fact, it’s widely accepted that in the TOK Essay as well as Extended Essays in subjects like History or English students should use in-text citations.
How to cite in APA?
To cite in APA, provide:
- Author’s last name, First initial
- Year of publication in parentheses
- Title of the book in italics Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher URL or DOI for online sources
A full citation in APA looks the following way:
Griffin, E. (2014). The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561
In-text citation:
(Griffin, 2014)
How to cite in MLA?
To cite in MLA, provide:
- Author’s full name
- Title of the book in italics
- Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher
- Year of publication
- URL (if the book is available online)
A full citation in MLA looks the following way:
Griffin, Eric. The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561
In-text citation:
(Griffin)
How to cite in Harvard?
To cite in Harvard, provide:
- Author’s last name, First initial.
- Year of publication in parentheses
- Title of the book in italics
- Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher URL (if the book is available online)
- Access date
A full citation in Harvard looks the following way:
Griffin, E. (2014). The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561 [Accessed 24 Feb. 2025].
In-text citation:
(Griffin, 2014)
How to cite in Chicago?
To cite in Chicago, provide:
- Author’s full name
- Title of the book (in italics)
- Edition (if applicable)
- Publisher
- Year of publication URL (if the book is available online)
A full citation in Chicago looks the following way:
Griffin, Eric. The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Available at: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137425561
In-text citation:
(Eric Griffin, The Making of the Modern World: The Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective, 2014)
No matter which citation method you choose, it is very important you stay consistent with it. Students cannot use more than one referencing style in one paper.
We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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