How do you properly include citations in a college application essay?
I'm working on my Common App Essay and I'm referencing a couple of studies and quotes that I found during my research. I'm a little confused about whether I should be using MLA or APA style citations, or maybe just mention the author in the text?
I know the application essays are supposed to be focused on my story, but I feel like mentioning some sources might support my ideas. Should I include a full bibliography at the end, or is that too formal for these kinds of essays? Would it look weird to put parenthetical citations in a narrative essay, or is it better to just mention where I got the info casually?
Has anyone clarified this with admissions officers or successfully included sources in their essays before? If so, how did you do it? Any advice would be super helpful because I don't want to mess up my application by making it sound too academic or, even worse, get flagged for plagiarism!
I know the application essays are supposed to be focused on my story, but I feel like mentioning some sources might support my ideas. Should I include a full bibliography at the end, or is that too formal for these kinds of essays? Would it look weird to put parenthetical citations in a narrative essay, or is it better to just mention where I got the info casually?
Has anyone clarified this with admissions officers or successfully included sources in their essays before? If so, how did you do it? Any advice would be super helpful because I don't want to mess up my application by making it sound too academic or, even worse, get flagged for plagiarism!
4 months ago
•
39 views
Camille Luong
• 4 months ago
Advisor
Great question! For college application essays like the Common App essay, formal citations (like MLA or APA) and bibliographies aren't expected or necessary. These essays are meant to showcase your unique experiences, voice, and perspective—making them quite different from academic research papers.
If you want to reference a study, statistic, or a quote that adds meaning to your story, the best approach is to casually mention the source in your writing. For example, instead of writing "(Smith, 2020)" or including a works cited page, you could naturally include the information like this: "As Harvard professor Angela Duckworth noted in her work on grit, passion and perseverance are key to long-term success." This method tells the reader where the information is from without breaking the flow of your narrative or making the essay sound too formal.
Admissions officers are focused on your story—they're not expecting to see in-text citations, footnotes, or bibliographies. Including those would generally appear too academic and out of place. If you need to attribute a quote, just say, "According to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center," and move forward with your point.
Plagiarism is still a big concern, so you should always credit original sources in this informal way—just mentioning the author or publication—so it’s clear you’re not passing someone else’s words or findings as your own. But you do not need to go beyond that.
As an example, if you want to mention the concept of growth mindset, you might write: "After reading Carol Dweck’s book on growth mindset, I started applying her ideas to my daily life—turning failures into opportunities."
In summary: avoid formal citations; seamlessly mention authors or sources in your text; and always make it clear whose ideas you’re using. This strikes the perfect balance between supporting your story and keeping the essay personal.
If you’d like more help with weaving research, quotes, or anecdotes into your draft, feel free to ask!
If you want to reference a study, statistic, or a quote that adds meaning to your story, the best approach is to casually mention the source in your writing. For example, instead of writing "(Smith, 2020)" or including a works cited page, you could naturally include the information like this: "As Harvard professor Angela Duckworth noted in her work on grit, passion and perseverance are key to long-term success." This method tells the reader where the information is from without breaking the flow of your narrative or making the essay sound too formal.
Admissions officers are focused on your story—they're not expecting to see in-text citations, footnotes, or bibliographies. Including those would generally appear too academic and out of place. If you need to attribute a quote, just say, "According to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center," and move forward with your point.
Plagiarism is still a big concern, so you should always credit original sources in this informal way—just mentioning the author or publication—so it’s clear you’re not passing someone else’s words or findings as your own. But you do not need to go beyond that.
As an example, if you want to mention the concept of growth mindset, you might write: "After reading Carol Dweck’s book on growth mindset, I started applying her ideas to my daily life—turning failures into opportunities."
In summary: avoid formal citations; seamlessly mention authors or sources in your text; and always make it clear whose ideas you’re using. This strikes the perfect balance between supporting your story and keeping the essay personal.
If you’d like more help with weaving research, quotes, or anecdotes into your draft, feel free to ask!
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Camille Luong
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Stanford University, BAH in Urban Studies
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5 years
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