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Citing Sources

Documentation Guidelines for citing sources and avoiding plagiarism

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In academic communities, the ethics of research demand that writers be credited for their work and their writing. Not to do so is to plagiarize, to intentionally or unintentionally appropriate the ideas, language, or work of another without sufficient acknowledgement that such material is not one's own. We offer the following sections to help you understand how to cite the sources you have used in writing your papers, and to understand the nature of plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Citing Sources Within Your Paper   Assembling a List of Works Cited

Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you are required to cite its source, either by way of parenthetical citation or by means of a footnote. Offered here are some of the most commonly cited forms of material. For more information, see Citation Guides.

  
Most style manuals require you to assemble a list of the works that you have cited in your paper. This list, included at the end of your paper, may be termed "Works Cited," a "Reference List," or a "Bibliography." Offered here are some of the most commonly-used forms of cited material. For more information, see Citation Guides.