Citing Your Sources
When you use use ideas from information sources in your papers and projects, you need to cite that information.
Which citation style should I use?
The citation style usually depends on the subject you are studying and what your professor recommends or requires. Our guide to citation styles can help you with your citations. The most common styles for university assignments are:
Our Citation Styles Guide has examples from other style types. Our plagiarism tutorial can help you cite information properly.
Why should I cite my sources?
Citing your sources:
- is necessary to avoid plagiarism (a form of academic misconduct)
- adds credibility to your paper or project
- helps other find the information you used
- gives attribution to the original author or content creator
A citation ensures that others can find the original information source by providing its
- author(s), editor(s), or creators
- title(s) (article, journal, book, book chapter, web page, etc.)
- publication information (place, publisher, date), and/or…
- point of access (database, URL, date accessed)
Need help managing your sources? Check out Zotero!
Zotero a free tool for collecting information about your research sources and creating citations. It will will save, organize, and cite your references for free!
Visit our Getting Started: Zotero Workshop to learn more about this valuable research tool.
More tips on proper citations and avoiding plagiarism
To learn more tips on using citations properly and avoiding plagiarism: