why do we reference in research and academic writing

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Why is Referencing Important?

Citations are not used simply to avoid plagiarism; they have other important roles too..

Referencing allows you to acknowledge the contribution of other writers and researchers in your work. Any university assignments that draw on the ideas, words or research of other writers must contain citations.

Referencing is also a way to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas. By citing the work of a particular scholar, you acknowledge and respect the intellectual property rights of that researcher. As a student or academic, you can draw on any of the millions of ideas, insights and arguments published by other writers, many of whom have spent years researching and writing. All you need to do is acknowledge their contribution to your assignment.

Referencing is a way to provide evidence to support the assertions and claims in your own assignments. By citing experts in your field, you are showing your marker that you are aware of the field in which you are operating. Your citations map the space of your discipline and allow you to navigate your way through your chosen field of study, in the same way that sailors steer by the stars.

References should always be accurate, allowing your readers to trace the sources of information you have used. The best way to make sure you reference accurately is to keep a record of all the sources you used when reading and researching for an assignment.

Citations also make your writing more persuasive. 

Exercise: Look at the two paragraphs below: which one seems more authoritative?

The paragraphs are identical, except for the absence of citations from paragraph 1.

The first paragraph may be just as interesting as the second, but within an academic context, a context that requires you to show from where you have taken ideas, the second has far more authority, it is more persuasive. It shows that the ideas you are discussing are matters that are important to your particular academic community.

What kind of information do I need to reference?

Printed books are not the only sources that require acknowledgement. ANY words, ideas or information taken from ANY source requires a reference.

Reference when you are using words or ideas from:

• books and journal articles
• newspapers and magazines
• pamphlets or brochures
• films, documentaries, television programs or advertisements
• websites or electronic resources
• letters, emails, online discussion forums
• personal interviews
• lecturers or tutors. (Not always necessary but check with your lecturer or tutor about their preferences before you draw on their ideas.)

You also need to reference when you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts or pictures.

No need to reference when you are:

• writing your own observations or experiment results, for example, a report on a field trip
• writing about your own experiences, for example, a reflective journal
• writing your own thoughts, comments or conclusions in an assignment
• evaluating or offering your own analysis
• using 'common knowledge' (facts that can be found in numerous places and are likely to be known by a lot of people) or folklore
• using generally accepted facts or information. This will vary in different disciplines of study. If in doubt, ask your tutor.
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Why We Cite

Citing information: why we cite.

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Why we Cite

The purposes of citation.

Quality academic writing is built upon the work of others, to which we add our own unique analysis and contributions. Citations serve three major roles in scholarly work:

• They allow you to show how your argument is built upon the ideas of others.
• They allow you to indicate which ideas are taken from others, and from whom those ideas were taken; in other words, to give credit where it's due.
• They allow the interested reader to follow your argument and confirm its logic by investigating the ideas on which the argument is built, or to further explore those ideas on their own.

In each case, it's important that you acknowledge the ways in which others' ideas contributed to your own. To fail to distinguish our original ideas from those of our forebears is plagiarism, "the act of appropriating the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation." (West's Encyclopedia of American Law ).

What Needs to be Cited?

If you incorporate or refer to others' theories, words, ideas or concepts in a paper or project, you must document each one using a citation. The use of facts and statistics that another has compiled must also be likewise acknowledged.

You need to document:

• Direct quotes, both entire sentences and phrases
• Paraphrases (rephrased or summarized material)
• Words or terminology specific to or unique to the author's research, theories, or ideas
• Use of an author's argument or line of thinking
• Historical, statistical, or scientific facts
• Graphs, drawings, or other such aggregations of information or data
• Articles or studies you refer to within your text

You do not need to document:

• Proverbs, axioms, and sayings ("A stitch in time saves nine.")
• Well-known quotations ("Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.")
• Common knowledge (Thomas Edison invented the phonograph; "Starry Night" was painted by Vincent Van Gogh; Oxygen has the atomic number 8)

Sometimes it can be difficult to be sure what counts as common knowledge. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if a knowledgeable reader would be familiar with the information in question. If he or she would have to look it up to confirm it, you should usually document it. If you're not sure, document it to play it safe.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Plagiarism is theft; it is a violation of professional ethics; it is a violation of UNC at Chapel Hill's Honor Code; furthermore, the courts have recognized it as a violation of copyright. There are many ways to violate copyright, including failure to acknowledge direct quotes or the paraphrasing of another person's work, and the insufficient acknowledgment of such works.

For an in-depth discussion of plagiarism , please refer to the Library's Plagiarism Tutorial and the Writing Center's Plagiarism Handout .

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In your academic work you will be reading and responding to the work of others. You need to acknowledge this work in your own writing through referencing.

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What is referencing?

Referencing is how you acknowledge the source of the information you have used (referred to) in your work. It helps to make clear to the reader how you have used the work of others to develop your own ideas and arguments.

Whether you are quoting directly from a book, summarising an idea from a journal article, illustrating a point with an image, or paraphrasing an opinion from a newspaper article, you need to give credit to the original creator of the work.

Explore methods for effectively managing information throughout your research.

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Sometimes the words used to describe referencing can be confusing, especially as they are often used interchangeably. To keep things simple, here is a quick summary of key referencing terms:

Citation : this is an acknowledgement that you place in your writing at the point you have referred to someone else’s work.  It may be in the author-date format (e.g., Jones, 2020) or in numeric format (e.g. [1].)

Reference : each citation should have a corresponding reference, which provides further details about the source of information you have used. This may include the creator’s name, date of publication, title of the work, publisher details and a URL if accessed online. References are usually placed at the end of your writing in a reference list .

Bibliography : this is another name for the list of references at the end of your document.  A reference list usually only contains references for material you have cited in your work.  A bibliography may also include references for materials you have read or consulted but not cited.

What do you need to reference?

You need to reference every time you use the work of others. This could include:

• computer code

Whatever the information source: website, textbook, journal article, magazine, newspaper, YouTube Video, or social media site, if you have quoted, paraphrased or summarised another person’s work, you need to reference it.

However, you do not need to reference commonly known facts, for example:

"Newcastle upon Tyne is in the North East of England".

Why do you need to reference?

Referencing is important for the integrity and quality of your academic writing. Here’s why:

Referencing:

• gives authority to your work by showing the breadth of your reading
• shows the reader how you have developed your arguments and engaged with the ideas of others
• enables a reader to see the original sources that you've used; they can follow up on your references so they can learn more about the ideas you’ve discussed in your work or check any facts and figures
• allows others to use your work as a research source (for which you should be cited!)
• makes clear which ideas are your own and those inspired by others; this enables you to avoid plagiarism

The quality of your referencing can affect the marks you’re given for assessments, so it’s worth taking the time to get them right.

How to reference

In a nutshell, referencing is a two-step process. Whenever you refer to another source of information, you need to firstly insert a citation in your text, and secondly, expand on that citation in a full reference at the end of your work.

How you format your citations and references will depend on the referencing style that you use and the type of information you’re referencing.

Referencing styles

Referencing styles are a set of instructions. They tell you what information you need to include in your reference, the order that information should appear, and the way it should be formatted in your work.

Referencing styles will provide specific instructions for different information types too, meaning a reference for a book will look different to a reference for a website. Check your programme handbook or ask your module leader which referencing style you should be using.

Cite Them Right Harvard is the most frequently used referencing style at the University, and if your school does not have a preferred style, is the one that we would recommend. You can find out more about Cite Them Right Harvard and other referencing styles, including examples of citations and references, on our Referencing Guide or on Cite Them Right.

Find out more about plagiarism and how to avoid it by quoting and paraphrasing the work of others effectively in your writing.

Referencing guide

Explore different referencing styles and referencing examples.

Cite Them Right tutorial

Access a comprehensive guide to referencing different information types in a range of referencing styles including, Harvard, IEEE, APA, OSCOLA and Vancouver.

Referencing tools

Keeping track of all your references and making sure you consistently follow your referencing style might seem a little daunting, but there are lots of tools that can help you manage and format your citations and references correctly.

• Look out for cite options on Library Search, Google Scholar and subject databases.
• Generate citations and bibliographies using reference building tools such as Cite This for Me or ZoteroBib.
• Explore reference management software such as EndNote, Mendeley or Zotero.

Whatever tool you use, it’s always a good idea to get to know the conventions of the referencing style, so that you can spot mistakes or missing information.  Use guidance from your School, or check examples in Cite Them Right to make sure your references are accurate.

EndNote guide

Find out how to access EndNote and set up your own Library of references.

Online and downloadable resources

Referencing checklist

Top tips to help you manage your referencing effectively. **PDF Download**

Referencing quiz

Put your knowledge to the test in our referencing quiz. **Online quiz**

Citing generative AI guide

An overview guide to citing ChatGPT and other generative AI tools in different styles. **PDF Download**

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Looking for a book, article, database or something else for your research, what is plagiarism.

Plagiarism is defined as "a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work" or "taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own"  [ 1 ]

Plagiarism is a serious issue in the academic community. While plagiarism sometimes does occur intentionally, it also occurs because the writer doesn’t understand or does not know how to avoid it. Please visit our online tutorial:  Plagiarism 101  for an entertaining and interesting look at why people plagiarize and strategies to avoid it.

Plagiarism occurs when you use someone else’s ideas and PRETEND they are your own. Avoiding plagiarism doesn’t mean that you can never use other people’s ideas. It’s a widely known secret that in fact you CAN use other peoples’ ideas and even their words. For many research papers you NEED to do this in order to prove your own points. So use their ideas! Use their words! Professors expect to see in your writing that you’ve done your research and understand what the experts think when you formed your own opinions. The trick is to acknowledge who these expert ideas really belong to by CITING them!

So let’s assume you don’t want to plagiarize, you’ve given yourself enough time to do it right, but you’re still not sure about “putting things in your own words,” judging when to cite work, or how to cite it. Read on for more information and examples.

Why acknowledge sources?

Doing research for a paper is an exploration and learning process. By acknowledging our sources we show our reader the path we took to come to our conclusions. Citing the authors we read shows how we tied others’ research and ideas together and how we came to learn about and develop our own ideas and opinions.

Why should you cite your sources?

1. Citations reflect the careful and thorough work you have put into locating and exploring your sources.

2. Citations help readers understand the context of your argument and are a courtesy to the reader, who may share your interest in a particular area of study.

3. Citations allow you to acknowledge those authors who contributed to your learning and your work.

4. Citations, by illustrating your own learning process, also draw attention to the originality and legitimacy of your own ideas.

5. By citing sources you demonstrate your integrity and skill as a responsible student and participant in your field of study.  [2]

When to cite sources

While professors and scholars may have specific requirements based on the needs of their discipline, there are cases where you should  always  cite your sources.

1. Direct quotes of more than one word.  If the author’s words are powerful or you need to be specific for your argument, the authors’ words can be used as a direct quote.

2. Paraphrasing or summarizing.  If you want to use someone else’s idea to help you make your point or to support your own ideas, in this case you would “translate” the ideas into your own words.

3. Information which may be common knowledge  but still unfamiliar to your reader. This would also include statistical information which may be familiar information but still requires confirmation.

4. Not just books or articles  should be cited. Any source that you use for information can and should be cited including interviews, websites, TV programs, etc.

5. Whenever you are not sure  if something should be cited, err on the side of caution and cite sources.

Let’s look at some examples…

Direct quotes

How much you quote will determine how it appears in the body of your paper but whether it is one word or an entire paragraph, direct quotes need to be cited.

Lappe’s explanation of a "thin democracy"  [3]  addresses a number of basic flaws within our American society.

Global warming is being recognized as a major issue throughout the world and as Al Gore instructs, "it is time to make peace with our planet."  [4]

Paraphrasing or Summarizing

This involves translating what you have read (or heard) and putting it into your own words. Paraphrasing typically refers to putting an idea or passage into your own words. Summarizing involves capturing the main idea or reducing a detailed piece to a shorter and more general synopsis.

Here's an example:

"Instructors usually allow students to find their own topics for a major writing assignment; thus choose something of interest to you so you won’t get bored after a few days. At the same time, your chosen topic will need a scholarly perspective." [5]

Paraphrase : When students are permitted to select their own topic to write about they should choose one that is interesting to them. The topic should also be scholarly in nature so that students will be able to find appropriate research and resources on the topic.  [5]

Summary : Students should select writing topics that are interesting and also lend themselves to academic research.  [5]

A summary generally addresses the overall theme of a passage, article, opinion, etc. while a paraphrase generally restates a more specific thought or idea. The difference between summarizing and paraphrasing is sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle — do you see the difference?

Common Knowledge? Or Not?

Some basic facts are common knowledge and easily confirmed from a variety of sources. Statistics should always be cited, as well as opinions and less familiar facts. Information that is considered well-known within your field of study will also help determine if it is considered common or not. However, if you are not sure, cite it!

The University at Albany located in Albany, New York and is part of the State University of New York.

This is common knowledge and easily confirmed in a multitude of sources.

The State University of New York was officially established in February of 1948 and currently consists of 64 institutions. The University at Albany is one of ten University Centers that are part of the SUNY system.  [6]

While the SUNY system is well known and these facts are easily confirmed, specific historical information or statistics should be cited.

How to cite?

We’ve talked about plagiarism as well as why and when to cite. The next question is "How?"

There are  two things you need to know  from your professor.

The FIRST is how you will reference your sources within your paper. Generally you will use one of the following options:

• IN TEXT  citation is when your source author is included within the body of your paper. This acts as a reference to your 'Works Cited' page.
• END NOTES  format is used in this document. The cited idea or quote is noted with a number and the source is listed at the end of the paper.
• FOOT NOTES  format is similar to end notes however the citations are listed at the bottom of each page.

The SECOND thing you need to know is what Format and Style Guide to use. There are very specific rules about how to do this that are not included in this document. Your professor will tell you which s/he wants you to follow. The choices will typically be one of the following:

• MLA  Format and Style Guide (Modern Language Association)
• APA  Format and Style Guide (American Psychological Association)
• CHICAGO  Manual of Style

Please visit the University Libraries' Citation Basics research guide  for information and instructions on these style guides. Once you know what your professor wants you will need to follow the rules of that format accordingly.

[ 1 ]  "Plagiarism."  WordNet 3.0 . Princeton University. 03 Apr. 2008.  Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism .

[ 2 ] Adapted from "Sources and Citation at Dartmouth College." Dartmouth College. 1998. Retrieved 9 Feb 2009.  http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/sources/sources-citation.html

[ 3 ] Lappe, Frances Moore.  Getting a Grip.  Cambridge, MA : Small Planet Media, 2007.

[ 4 ] Gore, Al. "Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech."  Al’s Journal . December 10, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2008  http://blog.algore.com/2007/12/nobel_prize_acceptance_speech.html

[ 5 ] Lester, James D. & James D. Lester Jr.  Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide, 11th Ed.  New York: Pearson Education, 2005.

[ 6 ] "Short History of SUNY." The State University of New York. 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.  http://www.suny.edu/student/university_suny_history.cfm

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For information on how to reference this website for non-academic purposes, see the SkillsYouNeed referencing guide .

Citing and referencing information can be daunting for students who do not understand the principles.

There are numerous ways to reference. Different institutions, departments or lecturers may require different styles so check with your teacher, lecturer or instructor if you are unsure.

Bad referencing is a common way for students to lose marks in assignments so it is worth taking the time and effort to learn how to reference correctly.

Why Do We Cite and Reference?

When writing any academic essay, paper, report or assignment, you need to highlight your use of other author's ideas and words so that you:

• Give the original author credit for their own ideas and work
• Validate your arguments
• Enable the reader to follow up on the original work if they wish to
• Enable the reader to see how dated the information might be
• Prove to your tutors/lecturers that you have read around the subject
• Avoid plagiarism

Referencing Styles

There are many different styles of referencing, including Harvard, APA (from the American Psychological Association), Chicago and Vancouver. The Harvard referencing system is of the most popular styles and the remainder of this article deals with this system. However, your university may prefer the use of a different system so check with your lecturer or in your course information as to which referencing style to use.

What is Plagiarism?

• Presenting another's ideas as if they are your own – either directly or indirectly
• Copying or pasting text and images without saying where they came from
• Not showing when a quote is a quote
• Summarising information without showing the original source
• Changing a few words in a section of text without acknowledging the original author

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence.  You are likely to be awarded 0% for an assignment which has evidence of plagiarism. If you continue to plagiarise then you may be excluded from your course.

Most universities will want a signed declaration with submitted work to say that you have not plagiarised. 

Universities use anti-plagiarism software to quickly find plagiarised work. This software usually draws on huge databases of web sources, books, journals and all previously submitted student work to compare your work to so you will be found out.

Therefore, if you plagiarise, you are likely to be caught so don't take the risk and reference properly.

Be Organised

When writing an essay, report, dissertation or other piece of academic work, the key to referencing is organisation. As you go along, keep notes of the books and journal articles you have read and the websites you have visited as part of your research process.

There are various tools to help here. Your university may be able to provide you with some specialist software (Endnote – www.endnote.com ) or you can simply keep a list in a document or try Zotero ( www.zotero.org ) a free plugin for the Firefox browser.

What Needs to be Recorded?

Record as much information as possible in references to make finding the original work simple.

Include the author/s name/s where possible. You should write the surname (last name) first followed by any initials.  If there are more than three authors then you can cite the first author and use the abbreviation 'et al', meaning 'and all'.

For one, two or three authors: Jones A, Davies B, Jenkins C

For more than three authors Jones A et al.

For some sources, especially websites, the name of the author may not be known. In such cases either use the organisation name or the title of the document or webpage.

Example:  SkillsYouNeed or What Are Interpersonal Skills.

Date of Publication

You should include the year of publication or a more specific date if appropriate, for journal or newspaper articles/stories. For webpages look for the when the page was last updated. Include dates in brackets (2020) after author information. If no date can be established, then put (no date).

Title of Piece

Include the title of the piece; this could be the name of the book, the title of a journal article or webpage. Titles are usually written in italics . For books you should also include the edition (if not the first) to make finding information easier. Often when books are republished information remains broadly the same but may be reordered, therefore page numbers may change between editions.

Publisher Information

Usually only relevant for books, but for these you should include the publisher name and place of publication.

Page Numbers

If you are referencing a particular part of a book, then you should include the page number/s you have used in your work. Use p. 123 to indicate page 123 or pp. 123-125 to indicate multiple pages.

URL and Date Accessed

For webpages you need to include the full URL of the page (http://www... etc.) and the date you last accessed the page. The web is not static and webpages can be changed/updated/removed at any time, so it is therefore important to record when you found the information you are referencing.

Once you have recorded the information, you have everything you need in order to reference correctly. Your work should be both referenced in the text and include a reference list or bibliography at the end. The in text reference is an abbreviated version of the full reference in your reference list.

Direct Quotes

If you are directly quoting in your text you should enclose the quote in quotation marks, and include author information:

"Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place to another." SkillsYouNeed (2019)

For longer direct quotations it may be neater to indent the quotation in its own paragraph.

Your reference list should then include the full version of the reference:

SkillsYouNeed (2022) What is Communication? [online] available at www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/what-is-communication.html (Accessed October 14 2022)

For a book you would use, in your text:

“Long before the twelfth century rhetoricians had collected quotations, particularly from classical authors, into anthologies called florilegia…” (Clanchy, M.T, 1993)

The reference list would then include the full reference:

Clanchy, M.T. (1993) From Memory to Written Record England 1066 – 1307 Oxford, Blackwell, p. 115

The same rules also apply when you are referencing indirectly and you have not included a direct quote. If you have used the ideas of another source, reference both in your text at the relevant point and in your reference list or bibliography at the end of your document.

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Additional Information

When quoting you may sometimes want to leave out some words , in which case use … (three dots).

"Communication is … transferring information from one place to another"

If you need to add words to a quote for clarity, then square brackets are used:

“Communication is simply the act [in communication skills] of transferring information from one place to another.”

You can use [sic] to note an original error and/or foreign spelling , SkillsYouNeed is a UK site and therefore uses UK spellings:

"The color [sic] of the water..."

Continue to: Common Mistakes in Writing Sources of Information

See Also: Note-Taking for Reading What is Theory? | Writing an Essay | Punctuation

APA Style (7th ed.)

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Learn why and when to cite using APA

Watch the following video:.

How to cite in APA Style (7th edition)

Most academic writing cites others' ideas and research, for several reasons:

• Sources that support your ideas give your paper authority and credibility
• Shows you have researched your topic thoroughly
• Crediting sources protects you from plagiarism
• A list of sources can be a useful record for further research

Different academic disciplines prefer different citation styles, most commonly  APA and MLA styles. 

Besides these styles, there are  Chicago ,  Turabian ,  AAA ,  AP , and more. Only use the most current edition of the citation style.

Ask your instructors which citation style they want you to use for assignments. (Looking for the old 6th edition guide?)

Prefer an interactive, video-based tutorial? Click the image below:

More questions? Check out the authoritative source: APA style blog

When to cite.

To avoid plagiarism, provide a citation for ideas that are not your own:

• Direct quotation
• Paraphrasing of a quotation, passage, or idea
• Summary of another's idea or research
• Specific reference to a fact, figure, or phrase

You do not need to cite common knowledge (ex. George Washington was the first President of the United States) or proverbs unless you are using a direct quotation. When in doubt, cite your source.

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• Last Updated: Aug 19, 2024 4:18 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uww.edu/apa

APA (7th ed.) Citing Guide: Why Cite & What is APA

• Why Cite & What is APA
• Reference List Entry Structure
• In-text Citations
• Articles: Journals
• Articles: Magazines
• Articles: News
• Books & Reference Works
• Reports & Gray Literature
• Data Sets, Software & Tests
• Audiovisual Works
• Audio Works
• Visual Works / Figures
• Social Media
• Webpages & Websites
• Games, Puppets & Manipulatives
• Databases 0-9, A-K
• Databases L-P
• Databases Q-Z
• Other Citation Styles
• About this Guide

APA 7th Edition

This guide is representative of the 7 th  edition Publication Manual of APA and focuses on a student paper structure .

APA examples are not exhaustive and focus on referencing and citations. Assistance from your professor and/or Writing Centre is suggested for clarification.

Users are responsible for interpretation of APA style guidelines and to seek further assistance when necessary.

Effective September 2020.

You must cite sources in your writing whenever you include any sort of information, data, ideas or words that are not your own. This includes when you are writing an essay, report, paper, case study OR preparing a visual assignment such as a poster, infographic, brochure or presentation. Citing your sources is an expectation for post-secondary level writing and research. This is one element of academic integrity . 

You need to cite to ensure....

• You give credit to the original authors/sources of information and avoid a breach of academic integrity
• Your readers can quickly access your original sources
• You add credibility to your assignments and help prove your arguments

Different citation styles are used in different subject areas and professions.

Be sure to check with your professor on what method to use. 

APA Workshop Materials

• APA 7th Workshop - PPT APA 7th workshop PPT for review

What is APA?

This video will explain APA and why it is used to reference information in assignments.

“What is APA?” is a common question asked by many students who are beginning post-secondary education, or for those new to academic writing. APA stands for the American Psychological Association. This association outlines standards for the style and format of an academic paper and essay, and provides guidelines regarding punctuation, spelling, abbreviations, lists, and so on. It also provides guidelines and a format for giving credit to the sources of information being used in your assignments, and these take the form of references and in-text citations.

There are two APA manuals for the 7th edition. One is the full publication manual and the other is the Concise Guide to APA Style, which primarily contains APA information that is relevant to students. The full manual includes rules for both professional and student papers. For this reason, Georgian College recommends using the full publication manual rather than the concise version. Either way, you should be following the rules for students.

“Why do we reference?” is another common question. A very important reason to reference and cite your sources is to uphold academic integrity and avoid plagiarizing the work of others. Plagiarism is the act of representing the words or ideas of another person as your own. For instance, if you copy information off a website and place it in your essay, and do not give credit to the author of this information, then you have plagiarized the work of the original author.

Plagiarism is considered a form of academic misconduct and may result in a penalty. To avoid plagiarism, all sources of information you use when writing an assignment must be given credit in the form of an in-text citation, which appears in the text of your paper directly beside the information taken from the source, and a corresponding reference on the reference page.

There are many resources to help you learn about APA.  For more APA help, contact the Writing Centre and visit the Georgian College APA Guide and the APA website .

Citations & Citing your work

Source: © Common Craft, 2018.

If you think about it, much of the information that goes into a paper or article can be organized into three groups: “common knowledge” “my ideas”, and “other people’s ideas”. By understanding these groups, we can see why citations matter in our work. 


Let’s start with common knowledge, which consists of well established and reliable facts. For example, George Washington being the first US president is an established fact found in a variety of reliable sources. A year having 365 days is also considered common knowledge.

Next, let’s consider “my ideas”. This group consists of your personal thoughts, opinions, conclusions, and analysis of your topic. If you are conducting your own original research, it would also fall into this category.

And finally, there are other people’s ideas - and these deserve special care. When we research a topic, we’re likely to find and borrow helpful information and discoveries that came from the work of specific individuals or organizations whose work was published in reputable books, journals, articles and websites. 
“Other people’s ideas” also include quotes from other writing that support or debate points that you’re making. A paper or project may include all three types of information.

While common knowledge and your ideas don’t usually need special treatment, when other people’s ideas are included in your paper, readers do need to know. This can be done with citations. Using citations shows you’re responsible. You’ve done the research, given credit to the right people, provided the reader with resources for more learning and avoided plagiarism.

A citation consists of two parts that work together. These are the in-text citation and full citations. Here’s how they work…

When you use someone else’s ideas, the reader needs to know, but adding the required information into the middle of your paper would be annoying and hard to read.

So, we need a quick way to indicate when a section is based on someone else's ideas. This is done with an in-text citation. It’s a brief notification within the body of the text that specific words, ideas, figures, or images were taken from other sources. These point the reader to the second part of a citation--the full citation--which can be found either at end of the paper or at the bottom of the page. This way, the text remains readable and it’s clear when you use other people's’ ideas.

Often, full citations have all the information needed to find the original publication. These include author names, titles of books or journals, publishers, publication dates, page numbers and more.

Let’s look at two common ways to cite your sources in a paper:
 Imagine that you use an idea from a book in your paper and need to cite it.

An in-text citation could might include the author’s last name and year published, author’s last name and page number, or simply a number. These connect the reader to the full citation, which may be in a bibliography at the end of the paper, or in a footnote at the bottom of the page.

Using citations is part of being a responsible student and researcher, but it’s also a service to others. They acknowledge the people whose work helped establish what is known about the world and provides a way for your readers to dive even deeper into your subject.

The APA Manual

Web Resources

• APA Style The APA Style guide is the official companion to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. It's run by a group of experts who work with APA Style every day.
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