Citing sources given to you by your instructor, created by classmates, or uploaded to D2L Brightspace can be tricky. Use the tabs below as guidance, but please reach out to a librarian if you're unsure how to cite something from your SCC's classes.
This format is for physically printed handouts and course materials your instructor might pass out in class. See other tabs for materials uploaded to D2L Brightspace. The citation will vary based on whether the handout has a title or if you need to create a descriptive title
Format: Author/Instructor. (Year Handout Was Created If Known). Title of handout: Subtitle if any in italics [Class handout]. Institution Name, Course Code.
*Note: Do not use this for articles, chapters, or course packs that have additional publication information. Cite those based on the format they are, using other pages in this guide. This is for material your instructor created or shared like study guides, vocabulary, notes, tips, or general information for the class.
*Note: If you are unsure if your instructor created the material, you can check with them.
*Note: If you do not see a date, you can use (n.d.).
*Note: For materials without titles, create a descriptive title in plain text – no italics, no quotes. Put in square brackets. Capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns
Example: Anderson, A. J. (2025). How to write an effective thesis statement [Class handout]. Spartanburg Community College, ENG101.
Example with No Date: Oh, J. (n.d.). Facts about the planets in the Milky Way [Class handout]. Spartanburg Community College, AST101.
Example without Title: Jennings, D. (2023). [Class handout on gastrointestinal vocabulary terms]. Spartanburg Community College, AHS102.
See Textbook tab for printed versions of textbooks or course packs created by your Instructor.
Title:
For title, capitalize only proper nouns and the first word of the title and subtitle (after a colon). Also italicize the title (APA considers it a standalone). If there is no title, see example and note above.
Formatting:
Double space entries. If an entry runs more than one line, use hanging indent the next line(s).
Format: Author(s). (Year, Month Day). Title of presentation in italics [Type of Media/Description]. Name of Learning Management System@SCC. URL
*Note: Type of Media/Description would normally be [PowerPoint slides] or [Google slides].
Example 1: Johnson, K., & Rucker, Z. (2024, April 14). Model landscaping design [PowerPoint slides]. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/1012654/viewContent/6334375/View
Example 2 (No Date): Crone, F. (n.d.). Symbolism in "The Yellow Wallpaper" [PowerPoint slides]. D2L Brightspace@SCC. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/201256/viewContent/253454/View
Example 3 (No Title): Bussert, N. (2024). [Powerpoint slides from lecture on chapter 6 and major project]. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/1054854/viewContent/8334587/View
*Note: If you do not know the author, you can use Spartanburg Community College.
*Note: If you do not see a date, you can use (n.d.).
*Note: Sometimes you might have to cite a presentation that does not have a formal title. When that happens, include a description of the presentation in square brackets in place of the title. Do not put in italics.
Title:
For the presentation title, capitalize only proper nouns and the first word of the title and subtitle (after a colon). Also italicize the title (APA considers it a standalone). If there is no title, see example and note above.
URL:
Do not put a period at the end of entries with a URL. If the slides come from a classroom website, learning management system (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai), or company intranet and you are writing for an audience with access to that resource, provide the name of the site and its URL. (use the login page URL for sites requiring login). If the audience for which are you writing does not have access to the slides, cite them as a personal communication.
Date:
If there is no date listed on the presentation Include a retrieval date (n.d.). See example above.
Formatting:
Double space entries. If an entry runs more than one line, use hanging indent the next line(s).
Use this format If your entire textbook or course pack was written or compiled by your instructor and you have a printed copy. The instructor could have provided a free copy or you might have bought a copy in the college bookstore for a small fee. If your textbook or other course pack was published by a company or someone not at SCC, use a different format. If your textbook/course pack is available only online in D2L or other site, scroll down to see other options on this page.
Print Format: Author(s). (Year). Title of textbook in italics (Edition ed., Vol. volume number). Publisher.
*Note: If your instructor wrote the textbook, they are the author. If your instructor only compiled information from other sources and/or edited it, then they are the editor (and you'll probably not have an author).
*Note: If you do not see an author, you can use Spartanburg Community College if was created by the college. In this case, you would not include the publisher if it is also Spartanburg Community College. When author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher.
*Note: If you do not see a date, you can use (n.d.).
*Note: Capitalize only the first letter of the word of the title of the book and any subtitles.
*Note: Skip any information you do not have.
Print Example 1: Jordan, P. (Ed.). (2023). Composition basics (3rd ed.). Spartanburg Community College.
Print Example 2: Smith, E. (2024). Professional communication: English 165. Spartanburg Community College.
Print Example 3: Spartanburg Community College. (2023). Biology 101 lab manual: Customized manual.
Use this format If your entire textbook is available for free in D2L. If there is a link in D2L that goes to an outside website or if you use an access code to pay for access to your textbook, then you'd use a different format.
This format differs from the PDF in D2L citation because textbooks often have publication information such as editors, editions, and publishers to include. Most often these are textbooks written or compiled by your instructor specifically for the course (OER textbooks).
Format: Author(s). (Year). Title of OER textbook in italics (Edition ed., Vol. volume number). Name of Learning Management System@SCC. URL
*Note: If your instructor wrote the textbook, they are the author. If your instructor only compiled information from other sources and/or edited it, then they are the editor (and you probably won't have an author).
*Note: Capitalize the only first letter of the word of the title of the book, skipping any information you don't have.
Online Example 1: Jordan, P. (Ed.). (2023). Composition basics (3rd ed.). D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/25652542/viewContent/765247/View
Online Example 2: Smith, E. (2024). Professional communication: English 165. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/23659269/viewContent/71875203/View
Online Example 3:Spartanburg Community College. (2023). Biology 101 lab manual: Customized manual. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/55699449/viewContent/385755/View
Use this format if there is a link for your textbook in D2L that goes to an outside website or publisher platform, or if your textbook was not written or compiled by your instructor (the publisher will not be SCC).
Format: Author(s). (Year). Title of textbook in italics (Edition ed., Vol. volume number). Publisher. URL
Online Example 1: Baldwin, A. (2020). College success. Openstax. https://umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/889
Online Example 2: Chippewa Valley Technical College. (2020). Nursing pharmacology. WI Technical Colleges Open Press. Retrieved Jan. 10, 2025, from https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/nursing-pharmacology
Note: If you have a book with author(s) but no editor(s), you would cite the whole book even if you only use a part of the book.
*Note: Use the Online-publisher platform format when the book lives on a site like Connect, MyMathLab, Mindtap, etc. that has a different name than the publisher of the book. You often have to pay an access code to log into these sites.
*Note: For URLs longer than 3 lines, you can shorten the URL. Always retain the host (main website) of the URL.
To cite a chapter or section of any of the about formats, add the title of that chapter/section and page numbers to your citation as you would citing part of any other book if the part of the book has a different author than then whole book. This includes citing short stories, poems, plays, etc. within a larger book. See Citing Part of a Book for more information and examples.
Format: Author(s) of Part. (Year). Title of part. In Editor's Name (Ed.), Title of book in italics (Edition ed., Vol. volume number, pp. page numbers of part). Publisher. URL
Print Example: Sophocles. (2021). Oedipus the King. In E. Grigg (Ed.), Introduction to theatre: THE 101 (pp. 299-312). Spartanburg Community College.
Online in D2L Example: Kelly, R. L., & Perez, M. (2024). Developing a thesis statement. In Z. Snow & E. Medlin (Eds.), English composition I: Reading list (2nd ed, pp. 25-28). D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/26854854/viewContent/302745/View
*Note: For URLs longer than 3 lines, you can shorten the URL. Always retain the host (main website) of the URL.
Use this only when your instructor uploads an actual PDF document, not when they link to a PDF or other material outside of D2L Brightspace (SCC's learning management system). If they do link out, then cite the website they link to.
The PDF could be anything - instructor's notes, study guides, book chapters, articles, short stories, poems, etc. If the PDF is your textbook, then see our Textbooks tab for more information.
Format: Author(s). (Date) Title of work in italics. Name of Learning Management System@SCC. URL
*Note: If you do not see a date, you can use (n.d.).
*Note: For URLs longer than 3 lines, you can shorten the URL. Always retain the host (main website) of the URL.
Example 1: Piepenburg, E. (2015, August 6). Why 'Hamilton' has heat. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/25658254/viewContent/865265/View
Example 2: Babcock, A. (2024). Chap 7-9 DNA and sexual reproduction lecture notes. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/1112461/viewContent/5333311/View
Example with No Date: Jacobs, W. W. (n.d.). The monkey's paw. D2L Brightspace@SCC. https://d2l.sccsc.edu/d2l/le/content/701294/viewContent/595415/View
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