Although many personal statements will not include any citation of sources, in some cases—particularly if your work is in the sciences and you need to provide a brief literature review—you will need to cite sources at the end of your essay in a “References” section. Chapter 1 discusses the ethical concerns associated with source citation as you write personal essays (see "Student Writing and Ethics" [1] section). To address the more practical problem of citation mechanics, below are ways to address common mechanics challenges:
To see the above tips in action, browse through the sample essays in the later chapters of this manual, where you will find ample evidence of how other writers met their source citation challenges. For further detail about source citation practices, you can also go to Chapter 5 of the manual Style for Students Online [2].
For discipline-specific examples of citation form, turn to these two URLs:
“Research and Documentation Online” (download) from popular style guide author Diana Hacker [3]
“Write & Cite: Writing Resources: Citing” article from San Antonio College [4]
Links
[1] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/writingpersonalstatementsonline/p1_p4.html
[2] https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c5.html
[3] http://automanualguides.com/diana-hackers-a-writers-reference-bedford-st-martins.html
[4] http://sacguide.libguides.com/content.php?pid=216001&sid=1796701