What Is Citation?
To cite is to tell your reader that a quotation, idea, or piece of information in your paper was taken from another source, and to provide identifying information about where the quote or reference came from.
A source in this context might be a book, an article in a scholarly journal, a video, a website, a primary source document, or many other things
There are citation styles that tell you how to format the identifying information about the source you used. Different disciplines use different citation styles.
Why Do I Cite?
There are three primary purposes to citation:
- To give credit: when you provide a citation, you give credit to the person who came up with those words, developed the idea, or informed you of the fact, that you are referencing. Failure to cite is plagiarism, to represent someone else's work as your own.
- To show authority: when you cite a source, you demonstrate to your reader that you have done your research and are not making facts up
- To help your reader: a correct citation will make it possible for your reader to find the sources you used, and the words and ideas you cited.
How Do I Cite?
The exact way you cite will vary based on the citation style your professor asks you to use. But all major citation styles have basic similarities:
- A list, at the end of your paper, with citation entries for every source you used in your paper. These citation entries will include detailed identifying information about the source. This list may be called your References, your Works Cited, or as a Bibliography.
- An in-text citation immediately after you quote or reference another work. The in-text citation will include less information (just enough for people to find the full citation entry in your bibliography). That information may be in parentheses after your the quote/reference, or in a footnote at the bottom of the page.
There are three citation styles most commonly used in colleges: APA, MLA, and Chicago.
