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Mechanical Engineering

General guide for Mechanical Engineering

APA 7Th Edition

APA is more often used in Graduate Theses and Dissertations for the Whitacre College of Engineering.

Texas Tech has a great guide for the APA Style guide from the Writing Centers.

The biggest thing to remember about citations is that they are based on a pattern. The second biggest thing is that the citation generators, either through the University Libraries or other places will not always give you the correct information. So you should follow the pattern of the citation style and check the ones you copy and paste from the databases against the examples on our pages or within the APA style guide.

 

 

Every journal has a different citation style. Some will rely on APA, others have their own style. You will have to look at the submission guidelines of the journal you hope to publish in to know how you should be citing your materials.

ASCME Examples

From the ASME's Guidelines

Text Citation. Within the text, references should be cited in numerical order according to their order of appearance. The numbered reference citation should be enclosed in brackets.

Example: It was shown by Prusa [1] that the width of the plume decreases under these conditions.

In the case of two citations, the numbers should be separated by a comma [1,2]. In the case of more than two references, the numbers should be separated by a dash [5-7].

List of References. References to original sources for cited material should be listed together at the end of the paper; footnotes should not be used for this purpose. References should be arranged in numerical order according to the sequence of citations within the text. Each reference should include the last name of each author followed by his initials.

(1) Reference to journal articles and papers in serial publications should include:

  • last name of each author followed by their initials
  • year of publication
  • full title of the cited article in quotes, title capitalization
  • full name of the publication in which it appears
  • volume number (if any) in boldface (Do not include the abbreviation, "Vol.")
  • issue number (if any) in parentheses (Do not include the abbreviation, "No.")
  • inclusive page numbers of the cited article (include "pp.")

(2) Reference to textbooks and monographs should include:

  • last name of each author followed by their initials
  • year of publication
  • full title of the publication in italics
  • publisher
  • city of publication
  • inclusive page numbers of the work being cited (include "pp.")
  • chapter number (if any) at the end of the citation following the abbreviation, "Chap."

(3) Reference to individual conference papers, papers in compiled conference proceedings, or any other collection of works by numerous authors should include:

  • last name of each author followed by their initials
  • year of publication
  • full title of the cited paper in quotes, title capitalization
  • individual paper number (if any)
  • full title of the publication in italics
  • initials followed by last name of editors (if any), followed by the abbreviation, "eds."
  • publisher
  • city of publication
  • volume number (if any) in boldface if a single number, include, "Vol." if part of larger identifier (e.g., "PVP-Vol. 254")
  • inclusive page numbers of the work being cited (include "pp.")

(4) Reference to theses and technical reports should include:

  • last name of each author followed by their initials
  • year of publication
  • full title in quotes, title capitalization
  • report number (if any)
  • publisher or institution name, city

Sample References

[1] Ning, X., and Lovell, M. R., 2002, "On the Sliding Friction Characteristics of Unidirectional Continuous FRP Composites," ASME J. Tribol., 124(1), pp. 5-13.
[2] Barnes, M., 2001, "Stresses in Solenoids," J. Appl. Phys., 48(5), pp. 2000–2008.
[3] Jones, J., 2000, Contact Mechanics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, Chap. 6.
[4] Lee, Y., Korpela, S. A., and Horne, R. N., 1982, "Structure of Multi-Cellular Natural Convection in a Tall Vertical Annulus," Proc. 7th International Heat Transfer Conference, U. Grigul et al., eds., Hemisphere, Washington, DC, 2, pp. 221–226.
[5] Hashish, M., 2000, "600 MPa Waterjet Technology Development," High Pressure Technology, PVP-Vol. 406, pp. 135-140.
[6] Watson, D. W., 1997, "Thermodynamic Analysis," ASME Paper No. 97-GT-288.
[7] Tung, C. Y., 1982, "Evaporative Heat Transfer in the Contact Line of a Mixture," Ph.D. thesis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY.
[8] Kwon, O. K., and Pletcher, R. H., 1981, "Prediction of the Incompressible Flow Over A Rearward-Facing Step," Technical Report No. HTL-26, CFD-4, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA.
[9] Smith, R., 2002, "Conformal Lubricated Contact of Cylindrical Surfaces Involved in a Non-Steady Motion," Ph.D. thesis, http://www.cas.phys.unm.edu/rsmith/homepage.html