How to Cite Sources

Many courses require students to do research for assignments. Properly citing sources is mandatory and knowing how to properly attribute the information to its original source is a necessary skill.

To view more detailed information, click on the arrow next to each title.

What is a citation?

A citation is a way of letting your reader know when you have used another source of information in your work. Whether this information is copied word-for-word (quoted) or reworded (paraphrased), a citation is needed to show that an idea came from somewhere other than yourself. Citations consist of two main things:

an in-text citation
a Works Cited or References page

An in-text citation is a brief note included directly following any outside information. It is placed in parentheses at the end of the sentence and quickly lets your reader know from which source in your Works Cited or References page this information originates.

A Works Cited or References page contains more detailed entries about a source. The nature of the information can vary depending on the source or style requested by your teacher, but ultimately it should contain enough information to allow your reader to locate the source of your information themself.

The in-text citation and the Works Cited work in tandem. This means the reader needs both in order to look for further information.

When is a citation needed?

A citation is required anytime you use information from another source. Remember that this may include direct quotations, ideas, paraphrasing...and also photos, diagrams, music, artwork or videos.

How is a citation created?

Step 1: Create a Works Cited entry

The first thing to do when creating a citation is to record the source of your information in a Works Cited or References page. This page is located at the end of your work, and contains a list of all the sources you’ve used in alphabetical order.

Depending on the subject area, there are different ways to format your citations. Two of the more common ones are MLA (used for such subjects as English) and APA (used in the Sciences and Contemporary Studies). Check with your teacher or in your course for the preferred format.

Although the format will vary depending on the source and style, in general a Works Cited entry will include some or all of the following information:

Author
Title of source
Title of container
Other contributors
Version
Number
Publisher
Date
Location
Date accessed (for online sources)

For more information on what each of these terms mean, please visit Purdue University’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide.

Step 2: Create an in-text citation

Once you have created a Works Cited entry, you can include an in-text citation in your writing anytime you refer back to that source. Simply include whatever the entry starts with (such as the author’s name or the title) in parentheses following the information. This lets your reader know which Works Cited entry to look for to find the full details about the source.

For more information on how to include in-text citations, please visit Purdue University’s MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics or APA In-Text Citations: The Basics.

Purdue also provides information on how to effectively use an online citation generator. Please review this information carefully before using a website to create your citations: Using Citation Generators Responsibly.

Google Docs also has a built-in Citations tool under the Tools menu. For more information on how to use this tool, visit the Google Support website Add Citations and a Bibliography.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of using ideas obtained from elsewhere (another person, organization, AI, etc) and passing it off as your own without giving the original creator credit. It would also include re-submitting your own work or writing that you used for another course or purpose.

There are a number of famous court cases of plagiarism awarding millions of dollars in compensation involving famous authors, musicians and politicians. At the post-secondary level, plagiarism can get you suspended from a university or college.

To review the St. Nicholas policies on plagiarism, please go to the Policies page and review both the Assignment Policy and the Plagiarism and Originality Policy.

Works Cited on this page:

The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2019. Accessed May 25, 2023.