Citing Sources and Plagiarism 

What to cite

Anytime you incorporate someone else’s words or ideas in your writing, you need to cite the source. This gives the original author proper credit, allows readers to analyze your sources and conclusions, and helps others to use your writing and research as a springboard to dig deeper into the topic on their own.

There are three ways of using other writer’s work in your writing, all of which need to be cited.

Quotations- This is if you use the exact words of another person. Quotations must match the source document word for word. Quotations should be used sparingly to highlight an important phrase, sentence, or passage.

Paraphrasing- When you use someone else’s words, but rewrite them, you are paraphrasing. Paraphrases often shorten or focus a larger passage to meet the context of your writing.

Summarizing- This is if you use the ideas of someone else in your writing. Even if you don’t use the words of another writer, if you use their ideas you need to cite your source.

Besides citing other writer’s words and ideas, keep in mind that the source of items, such as statistics, images, videos, diagrams, or charts also need to be cited.

What you don’t need to cite

·        Your own original thoughts, observations and conclusions on a subject;

·        Your own lived experiences;

·        Common knowledge or generally accepted facts. For instance, you can write, "George Washington was the first president," without providing a citation.

How to cite

While correctly citing may seem complicated at first, it is often very simple. There are two parts to correctly citing: in text citations and a bibliography.

In text citation

Many students think it is sufficient to just have a bibliography at the end of the presentation with a list of their sources. But for citations to be useful, writers must identify the specific spots in their writing that are from each source. This is done by referencing the citation in parenthesis at the end of the sentence or passage being cited. You should not place the full citation in your text, that will be in the bibliography.  In the middle of your text you are merely highlighting that this is a citation and referencing the full citation in the bibliography. Do this by placing in parenthesis the first item that appears in the bibliography entry that corresponds to the citation (e.g. author name, article name, website name, film name).  In addition, you may need to add further details, like a page number if you are citing a book, or date.

According to Roger Sipher, a solution to the perceived crisis of American education is to "abolish compulsory-attendance laws and allow only those who are committed to getting an education to attend" (Sipher, 1977). 

Bibliography

The bibliography contains detailed information about all the sources you cited in your presentation. You may include other sources that informed your research and writing, even if you did not specifically cite them in text.  The two most widely used styles for bibliography citations are APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association).  In general either style is acceptable as long as you are consistent, although some teachers may have a preference. 

Sipher, Roger. “So That Nobody Has to Go to School If They Don't Want To.” The New York Times, 19 Dec. 1977, p. 31. 

Making the Citation

One of the easiest way to create your bibliography citation is to use an online citation generator, such as Citation Machine.  However, keep in mind citation generators don't just magically create a correct citation. You are responsible for accurately inputting all the needed information, identifying the type of source, and using the citation correctly.

For more information on how to make an APA or MLA citation, visit the following visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab pages on APA and MLA Style:

APA Style Introduction

MLA Style Introduction