Citing sources


Center for Writing/Student Writing Support

Discuss plagiarism and documenting sources with a writing consultant in a free face-to-face or online writing consultation. Access online resources and tutorials to learn why and how to document sources and avoid plagiarism.

University of Minnesota Libraries

Drop in or make an appointment to get help on finding examples of citing your sources. 

Free tools to create bibliographies and in text citation in MLA, APA and other styles. Get help in how to use those tools in person at any library.

Department of Writing Studies

Expectations about plagiarism
Get an introduction to American academic expectations about plagiarism, showing examples of what is and is not plagiarism using the framework of the "What are you telling your readers?"

All undergraduate students are required to take first year writing (WRIT 1301), and special sections of WRIT 1301 are reserved for non-native speakers of English.  These sections are listed on onestop class schedule under Writing Studies and are listed first in the list of Writ 1301 sections (designated as "for non-native speakers of English only"). For more information, contact Sheryl Holt at holtx001@umn.edu.

Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE)

All students are welcome at the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE) Instructional Center. We offer academic support services in writing, languages, and STEM. The full Instructional Center schedule will be posted at https://diversity.umn.edu/multicultural/instructionalcenter come the start of the semester.

Office for Community Standards

What is Plagiarism? 
Plagiarism is representing the words, creative work, or ideas of another person as one’s own without providing proper documentation of source. Examples include, but are not limited to: 
  • Copying information word for word from a source without using quotation marks and giving proper acknowledgement by way of footnote, endnote, or in-text citation;
  • Representing the words, ideas, or data of another person as one’s own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, in-text citation, or footnote;
  • Producing, without proper attribution, any form of work originated by another person, such as a musical phrase, a proof, a speech, an image, experimental data, laboratory report, graphic design or computer code;
  • Paraphrasing, without sufficient acknowledgment, ideas taken from another person that the reader might reasonably mistake as the author’s.
  • Borrowing various words, ideas, phrases, or data from original sources and blending them with one’s own without acknowledging the sources.
It is the responsibility of all students to understand the standards and methods of proper attribution and to clarify with each instructor the standards, expectations, and reference techniques appropriate to the subject area and class requirements, including group work and internet use. Students are encouraged to seek out information about these methods from instructors and other resources and to apply this information in all submissions of academic work. [1]

[1] Portions used with permission from New York Institute of Technology and University of Texas, San Antonio.

SMART Learning Commons

Meet one-on-one or in a small group at the SMART Learning Commons for support for writing and citing your sources. Find a tutor who provides Writing support.  

Minnesota English Language Program (MELP)

Make an appointment for free, one-to-one ESL support for international undergraduate students.  ESL consultants can discuss students' specific needs around using and citing sources, including integrating quotations and paraphrases into assignments and formatting citations correctly.
For credit classes (semester or shorter) to learn more about writing and get practice.