Libguides: Citing: Home

Why Cite?

It is important to cite sources you used in your research for several reasons:

To show your reader you've done proper research by listing sources you used to get your information
To be a responsible scholar by giving credit to other researchers and acknowledging their ideas
To avoid plagiarism by quoting words and ideas used by other authors
To allow your reader to track down the sources you used by citing them accurately in your paper by way of footnotes, a bibliography or reference list

Creating Reference Lists

The Styles

There are a few main styles for citing sources, so check with your instructor about which style to use for your research.

APA, American Psychological Association, is used for scientific and technical research. Instructors in behavioral science and hard science courses may require you to use APA style for your references or bibliography page.

MLA, Modern Language Association, is used for research on general topics and literary criticism. Most instructors in English and Developmental Studies classes will require you to use MLA style.

A few instructors prefer Chicago Manual of Style. This style is used primarily in history and other social science research.

In-Text Citations

More Help...

Guides/Resources

Avoiding Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Guide
Avoid it like the plague! There are two common types of plagiarism:
(a) improper use of someone else’s words
(b) improper use of someone else’s ideas
Both forms of plagiarism involve using someone else’s words or ideas without
appropriately acknowledging the author or source.

Guide to Creating a List of References
The reference list contains all the works you cited in the text of your paper.

Discussion Phrases Guide
Papers usually end with a concluding section, often called the “Discussion.” The Discussion is your opportunity to evaluate and interpret the results of your study or paper, draw inferences and conclusions from it, and communicate its contributions to science and/or society. Use the present tense when writing the Discussion section.

Heading Levels Template
APA Style headings have five possible levels. Use this student paper template to follow heading formats.

In-text Citation Checklist
Use this checklist for each sentence in your paper that relies on another source. Remember to cite all ideas, findings, results, or other information that is not your own and is not common knowledge. It may be helpful to highlight or annotate your paper to remind yourself of what information comes from another source and what is your contribution.

Checklist for Student Papers
Use this checklist while writing your paper to make sure it is consistent with seventh edition APA Style. This checklist corresponds to the writing and formatting guidelines described in full in the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.), but is useful without the text as well.

Student Paper Setup Guide
This guide will help you set up an APA Style student paper. The basic setup directions apply to the entire paper.

Annotated diagrams illustrate how to set up the major sections of a student paper: the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list.

Title Page Guide
These guidelines should be used to create title pages for student papers. The title page needs to provide information about the paper’s topic and authors and the course to which it is being submitted.

NOTE: If instructors or institutions provide different guidance, students should abide by those directions.

Citing: Home

What is Citing?

What Is Citation?