Why do you cite sources

For example, when you cite sources in a psychology paper you would probably use a different form of citation than you might in a paper for an English class. Finally, you should always consult your instructor to determine the form of citation appropriate for your paper.

You can save a lot of time and energy simply by asking "How should I cite my sources," or "What style of citation should I use?

In the following sections, we will take you step-by-step through some general guidelines for citing sources. The first time you cite a source, it is almost always a good idea to mention its author s , title, and genre book, article, or web page, etc. If the source is central to your work, you may want to introduce it in a separate sentence or two, summarizing its importance and main ideas. But often you can just tag this information onto the beginning or end of a sentence. For example, the following sentence puts information about the author and work before the quotation:.

You may also want to describe the author s if they are not famous, or if you have reason to believe your reader does not know them. You should say whether they are economic analysts, artists, physicists, etc. If you do not know anything about the author, and cannot find any information, it is best to say where you found the source and why you believe it is credible and worth citing.

For example,. If you have already introduced the author and work from which you are citing, and you are obviously referring to the same work, you probably don't need to mention them again. However, if you have cited other sources and then go back to one you had cited earlier, it is a good idea to mention at least the author's name again and the work if you have referred to more than one by this author to avoid confusion.

Taking the exact words from an original source is called quoting. You should quote material when you believe the way the original author expresses an idea is the most effective means of communicating the point you want to make. If you want to borrow an idea from an author, but do not need his or her exact words, you should try paraphrasing instead of quoting.

Most of the time, paraphrasing and summarizing your sources is sufficient but remember that you still have to cite them! Most of the time, you can just identify a source and quote from it, as in the first example above.

Sometimes, however, you will need to modify the words or format of the quotation in order to fit in your paper. Whenever you change the original words of your source, you must indicate that you have done so.

Otherwise, you would be claiming the original author used words that he or she did not use. But be careful not to change too many words! You could accidentally change the meaning of the quotation and falsely claim the author said something they did not.

For example, let's say you want to quote from the following passage in an essay called "United Shareholders of America," by Jacob Weisberg:. It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older.

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Search this Guide Search. Citing Sources. What Information Should be Cited and Why? Reference Staff. Email Me. You must cite a reference when you: Discuss, summarize, or paraphrase the ideas of an author Provide a direct quotation Use statistical or other data Use images, graphics, videos, and other media While you are doing research and locating sources, be sure to document materials thoroughly, noting the author, title, publisher, place of publication, date, and page numbers of all sources used.

Common Knowledge Things that are common knowledge do not require citation. For example: Social networking sites such as Facebook allow people to communicate easily regardless of their location. If you work with a lab partner to set up an experiment, for instance, but run and analyze the results yourself, you should credit the lab partner in a footnote or by reference within your paper.

Similarly, if you and a partner present a scene from a play, and you later write a paper using some of the insights you gained during production, you should credit the other actor. University life is structured so that your ideas will receive constant testing and refinement in discussion with others.

You do not need to cite in your papers every conversation you have about the ideas or evidence. But you do need to develop a judgment about which conversations are incidental and which result in ideas that merit reference in your texts.

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Skip to main content. Citing your sources consistently and accurately helps you avoid committing plagiarism in your writing. But : What if the URL breaks? What if your reader doesn't have access to Geisel Library's databases?

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