Citations/References on Posters
Just like with a research paper, you will need to include your sources on a research poster. Remember, you will be citing all sources of ideas, words, and external data that are included in your poster.
Typically, the References section will be the last section of your poster, and you will list all your references/citations in your chosen citation style. You may use a smaller font than the rest of the poster, although you should make sure it is still legible to viewers.
In this example, the References section is in the bottom of the last column.
MLA Style
The MLA Handbook (call number LB2369 .M52 2021) is the official guide to MLA style, frequently used in the humanities, composition, and related fields. The following resources will help you format citations in MLA style.
Resources
- The MLA Style CenterThe official website for MLA style, with more examples, guidelines, and a place to ask questions.
Book
Newton, David E. DNA Technology: A Reference Handbook. 2nd ed., ABC-CLIO, 2017.
eBook
Parrington, John. Redesigning Life: How Genome Editing Will Transform the World. Oxford UP, 2016. Ebook Central, ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sfcollege-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4706543.
Journal Article
Kato, Kazuto, et al. “Challenges Raised by Gene Editing.” Issues in Science and Technology, vol. 32, no. 4, 2016, pp. 5–8. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24727075.
Lau, Ricky WK, et al. “Gene Editing of Stem Cells for Kidney Disease Modelling and Therapeutic Intervention.” Nephrology, vol. 23, no. 11, Nov. 2018, pp. 981–990. Academic Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.1111/nep.13410.
Video
Doudna, Jennifer. “How CRISPR Lets Us Edit Our DNA.” YouTube, uploaded by TED, 12 Nov. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdBAHexVYzc.
Report
Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge, et al. Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States. United States Department of Agriculture, 2014, www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45179/43668_err162.pdf. Economic Research Report No. 162.
Webpage
Bodine, David M. "Human Genomic Variation." National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Genetic-Engineering. Accessed 7 July 2020.
Funk, Cary, and Meg Hefferon. "Most Americans Accept Genetic Engineering of Animals That Benefits Human Health, But Many Oppose Other Uses." Pew Research Center, 16 Aug. 2018, www.pewresearch.org/science/2018/08/16/most-americans-accept-genetic-engineering-of-animals-that-benefits-human-health-but-many-oppose-other-uses/.
"What Is Genetic Engineering and How Does It Work?" AgBiosafety, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, agbiosafety.unl.edu/basic_genetics.shtml. Accessed 7 July 2020.
If you are using figures, graphics, and images from external sources within your poster, you need to include a Works Cited entry for where the image came from and then a caption underneath the image, using the abbreviation Fig. for figure and number of the figure. For the titles in the caption, use the title of the page, book, article, etc. the image came from.
If the figure or graph was created by you, then only include the caption, beginning with Fig. #. and then explain the figure/graph. Here are a few examples of citing and captioning figures, graphs, and illustrations. For more examples, view the Figures and Images page on the MLA Citation Guide.
Self-Created Figure
Fig. 1. A sample budget tracking expenses and income.
Screenshot from Website
Because websites can change, include the accessed date in your caption.
Fig 2. "Lawrence W. Tyree Library," Santa Fe College, accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
"Lawrence W. Tyree Library." Santa Fe College, www.sfcollege.edu/library/. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Still from Film
Fig. 3. Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz, 1942.
Casablanca. Directed by Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros. Pictures, 1942.
Graph from a Journal Article
Fig. 4. Kent Nordby et al., "Playing a Video Game," BMC Psychology, 2019.
Nordby, Kent, et al. "Playing a Video Game Is More Than Mere Procrastination." BMC Psychology, vol. 7, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-019-0309-9.
Graph on a Website
Fig 5. Sarah Fiorini and Dan Foy, "Americans Sleeping Less, More Stressed," Gallup, 15 Apr. 2024.
Fiorini, Sarah, and Dan Foy. "Americans Sleeping Less, More Stressed." Gallup, 15 Apr. 2024, news.gallup.com/poll/642704/americans-sleeping-less-stressed.aspx.
APA Style
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (call number BF76.7 .P83 2020) is the official guide to APA style, frequently used in the social sciences, education, and health fields. The following resources will help you format references in APA style.
Resources
Book/eBook
National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. (2017). Human genome editing: Science, ethics and governance. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24623
Newton, D. E. (2017). DNA technology: A reference handbook (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO.
Journal Article
Lau, R. W. K., Wang, B., & Ricardo, S. D. (2018). Gene editing of stem cells for kidney disease modelling and therapeutic intervention. Nephrology, 23(11), 981–990. https://doi.org/10.1111/nep.13410
Video
Ronald, P. (2015, March). The case for engineering our food [Video]. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_ronald_the_case_for_engineering_our_food
Report
Fernandez-Cornejo, J., Wechsler, S., Livingston, M., & Mitchell, L. (2014, February). Genetically engineered crops in the United States (Economic Research Report no. 162). United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45179/43668_err162.pdf
Webpage
Funk, C., & Hefferon, M. (2018, August 16). Most Americans accept genetic engineering of animals that benefits human health, but many oppose other uses. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2018/08/16/most-americans-accept-genetic-engineering-of-animals-that-benefits-human-health-but-many-oppose-other-uses/
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (n.d.). What is genetic engineering and how does it work? AgBiosafety. http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/basic_genetics.shtml
Chicago Style
The Chicago Manual of Style (call number Z253 .U69 2017 and online) is the official guide to Chicago style, most often used in history related fields. There are two versions of Chicago style: Author-Date and Notes & Bibliography.
Notes & Bibliography will typically have the title component second within a citation, and uses footnotes and endnotes to refer to information within the paper, instead of in-text citations. This is the more common form of Chicago.
The following resources will help you format citations in Chicago style, with an emphasis on Notes & Bibliography.
Resources
- Chicago Manual of Style OnlineIncludes the full text of the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and tools to help you use Chicago Style, including a citation quick guide. Log in using your Office 365 account.
Book
Newton, David E. DNA Technology: A Reference Handbook. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2017.
1. David E. Newton, DNA Technology: A Reference Handbook, 2nd ed. (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2017).
eBook
Parrington, John. Redesigning Life: How Genome Editing Will Transform the World. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2016. Ebook Central.
2. John Parrington, Redesigning Life: How Genome Editing Will Transform the World (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2016), Ebook Central.
Journal Article
Lau, Ricky WK, Bo Wang, and Sharon D. Ricardo. "Gene Editing of Stem Cells for Kidney Disease Modelling and Therapeutic Intervention." Nephrology 23, no. 11 (2018): 981–990. https://doi.org/10.1111/nep.13410.
3. Ricky WK Lau, Bo Wang, and Sharon D. Ricardo, "Gene Editing of Stem Cells for Kidney Disease Modelling and Therapeutic Intervention," Nephrology 23, no. 11 (2018): 982*, https://doi.org/10.1111/nep.13410.
*Page number you are specifically citing
Video
Roland, Pamela. "The Case for Engineering Our Food." Filmed March 2015. TED video, 17:41. https://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_ronald_the_case_for_engineering_our_food
4. Pamela Roland, "The Case for Engineering Our Food," filmed March 2015, TED video, 17:41, https://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_ronald_the_case_for_engineering_our_food
Report
Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge, Seth Wechsler, Mike Livingston, and Lorraine Mitchell. Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States. Economic Research Report No. 162. United States Department of Agriculture. February 2014. http://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45179/43668_err162.pdf.
5. Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo, Seth Wechsler, Mike Livingston, and Lorraine Mitchell, Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States, Economic Research Report No. 162, United States Department of Agriculture, February 2014, http://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45179/43668_err162.pdf.
Webpage
Funk, Cary, and Meg Hefferon. "Most Americans Accept Genetic Engineering of Animals That Benefits Human Health, But Many Oppose Other Uses." Pew Research Center. August 16, 2018. http://www.pewresearch.org/science/2018/08/16/most-americans-accept-genetic-engineering-of-animals-that-benefits-human-health-but-many-oppose-other-uses/.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "What Is Genetic Engineering and How Does It Work?" AgBiosafety. Accessed July 7, 2020. http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/basic_genetics.shtml.
6. Cary Funk and Meg Hefferon, "Most Americans Accept Genetic Engineering of Animals That Benefits Human Health, But Many Oppose Other Uses," Pew Research Center, August 16, 2018, http://www.pewresearch.org/science/2018/08/16/most-americans-accept-genetic-engineering-of-animals-that-benefits-human-health-but-many-oppose-other-uses/.
7. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, "What Is Genetic Engineering and How Does It Work?" AgBiosafety, accessed July 7, 2020, http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/basic_genetics.shtml.
Image Attributions
Along with text references, you may also need to provide attributions to images that you have used from elsewhere. These are usually images that are meant to be shared from an image website. First, be sure you have permission to reproduce an image, either by looking for a license (such as a Creative Commons license) or by contacting the creator of the image.
For Creative Commons images that include a BY in the license, this means you must provide an attribution, which is typically the name of the image (if applicable), the owner of the image, and the license. Here is an example of an image with a correct attribution.
"Lab equipment at the COMESA Fish Inspection and Certification Facility in Luangwa, Zambia" by WorldFish is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0