What is APA citation? APA stands for American Psychological Association. It is one of many citation styles (e.g. Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, etc). Even though there are many ways to cite, at Qatar University, APA is the standard citation style for all majors.
Why do we have to cite sources? Citing sources gives credit to the original author. This can help prevent plagiarism. In a research paper, citing sources is especially important because when working with multiple sources, it helps to know who said what. Also, if someone is interesting in reading more or using that source for their own research, citations help find the original reference because it has important information like the author's name, year of publication and the title. This information can help you find the source in the library database.