What do I Cite?

For your latest research assignment, you consulted books, journal articles and web sites, viewed a film pertinent to your topic, and even interviewed your roommate. Now, you are ready to write. Do you really need to cite all these sources? The short answer is yes. If you are incorporating an author’s ideas into your paper, or if the work of another has influenced your thinking on a topic, then the source must be cited. It doesn’t matter what the source is. It could be a book, journal article, web site, message from a listserv, television program, speech or a government document. Just remember, if you are using another’s words or ideas, cite them.

The Basics

• Direct Quotation
• Direct Quotation: More Information
• Facts
• Paraphrase
• Summary

Complex Topics

• Loyalty to source: really looking at the sources you cite
• Loyalty to source: respecting the intent of another author
• Nuts and bolts: input on the structure of your paper
• Patchworking: a quilt of everyone's ideas but your own