How Do I Cite?
Choose
one of the links to the right to see citation examples to help
you cite the sources you used for your research. Be sure to use
the style format your instructor has required or suggested.
Take
a few minutes to learn more about and to practice citing using
the Interactive
Online Tutorial from Eastern Washington University.
If
you need additional help please ask
a reference librarian or consult the style
manuals in the library.
What Do
I Cite?
Citing is required for sources you quote word-for-word
and for sources you paraphrase or rewrite into your own
words. You do not need to cite sources that simply provide you
with widely known facts.
Why
Cite?
When you are preparing a research project, whether
it is a paper or a speech, you use information and facts from
a variety of resources to support your own ideas or to help you
develop new ideas. Books, online databases, periodical articles,
videos, sound recordings, and Web sites are
some examples of sources you might use.
Citing these sources of information in your work serves two primary
purposes:
-
It gives credit to the author of the original work who provided
you with the information or idea, and
-
It allows your audience to identify and retrieve the source
material in order to learn more about your topic.
Where
Do I Cite?
You
will need to cite your sources in two places:
-
Within the body of the paper, at the place where you are quoting
or paraphrasing the information
-
In a comprehensive list of ALL sources you have cited throughout
your paper
Avoid
Plagiarism
The
MJC Standards
of Conduct define plagiarism as:
The
deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas, words or statements
of another person as one's own, without acknowledgment.
This
form of Academic dishonesty applies to individual as well as group
work and may result in partial credit, no credit, or failure of
the exam or assignment. In addition, the instructor may forward
the situation to the Office of Student Success for further disciplinary
action such as suspension or removal from the course or college.
Plagiarism
does not apply simply to written works; it also applies to images,
graphics, charts, music, videos, etc. that you use in your research.
The
good news is that it is easy to avoid. You simply need to
cite the sources you used in preparing your research paper or
project.
For
more information, take a few minutes to view this Plagiarism
Tutorial from North Caroline State University.
Thanks
to University of California Berkeley Library and Owens Library
for inspiring this page.
