Knowing why to cite is just as important as knowing how to cite. Here's why citation in academic papers is so important.
GIVE CREDIT
Citation allows your readers to know which ideas are your original ones, and which ideas are someone else's.
SUPPORT IDEAS
Citation makes your arguments and analysis stronger because it shows that you've done your research. Use citations to back up your main ideas.
HELP OTHERS
Citation can help others find the sources that you used. Plus, this means that when you are doing your research, you can check an author's works cited page and find the articles they've cited to potentially use in your research.
AVOID PLAIGIARISM
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else's ideas and pretending that you came up with them. It's unethical because you are taking credit for someone else's hard work.
WHAT DO WE CITE?
How do you know what information needs a citation? Use this guide to determine if a section of your paper needs a citation.
| DO CITE | DON'T CITE |
|---|---|
| Facts and ideas that you found while you were researching a topic, even if you are summarizing what these sources said. | Facts and ideas that are common knowledge - meaning basic information that the reader is likely to know already. |
| When you take the exact words from a source (also called a direct quote). Be sure to use quotation marks around the beginning and end of all direct quotes. | Common sayings or phrases. If there's no way to know who originally said the quote, it doesn't need to be cited. |
| If you have any doubts or questions on whether you should cite something - you should probably be safe, and cite it! | Your own original ideas and analysis. These ideas belong to YOU, so they don't need a citation. |
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