Citation Tools

• Citing makes your work more credible. 
• To give credit to ideas that are not your own.
• Citing your sources protects you from plagiarizing.
• To provide support for your argument.
• To help your reader find and read the sources you used.

Below are some general guidelines for when you should cite your sources and when citations aren't necessary. If you have any questions or are unsure about what you should be citing be sure to reach out to your instructor and ask what they would recommend. 

• Quote: direct quotations from another writer. 
• Paraphrase: restatement of someone else's ideas.
• Summary: summary of someone else's work.
• Data: reference to someone else's research, findings, or data.
• Graphs/Charts: inclusion of someone else's charts or graphs.
• Websites: cite from a website just like you would from print sources. 
• Class Discussion: give credit for the ideas of someone else raised in a class discussion. 

When Don't I Have to Cite? 

• You don't have to cite common knowledge. For example: George Washington is the first US President. 
• Your own ideas or findings, just make sure to state that they are yours.