Citing your sources is similar to playing a sport: there are governing bodies (ex. NBA, NCAA, NAIA) that write a set of rules that dictate where and how you should play and that is enforced by an official who knows the rules. You likely know the general idea of how to play basketball and what a court looks like, but may not know that the NCAA rules require the cord that makes the net must be white and be made of twine that is between 120 and 144 thread count.
Depending on the citation style you use, the rules may change but the general ideas and information are the same:
For the citations, you will follow the rules set forth by an organization:
Written by the American Sociological Association (ASA) this citation style is based on the Chicago Manual of Style and primarily used for publishing in the ASA's journals.
Written by the American Psychological Association (APA), this style is primarily used in psychology as it contains guidance specific to presenting psychology research but is used in some social science settings.