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Why is it Important to Cite Your Sources for Your Research Papers?

Citing sources and creating a Bibliography/Works Cited List:

  • ​​​​Gives credit to the author(s)
  • Illustrates your ability to locate & evaluate appropriate sources
  • Provides evidence for the arguments and conclusions in your paper
  • Prevents plagarism and copyright infringement

What Is Plagiarism?

pla·gia·rism (noun)

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
Synonyms - copying, infringement of copyright, piracy, theft, stealing. Informal - cribbing "accusations of plagiarism." Source: Google Definition

Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional.

Citation Styles

What is MLA Style?  

MLA (Modern Language Association) style specifies guidelines for formatting papers. MLA style also provides a system for referencing sources through parenthetical citations in essays and Works Cited pages.

What is APA Style?  

APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and the social sciences. Most importantly, the use of APA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of material by other authors.

What is Chicago Style?

The Chicago Manual of Style sets the standard for scholarly publishing in the Humanities. Chicago offers two citation formats, the author-date reference format and the standard bibliographic format, each of which provides conventions for organizing footnotes or endnotes, as well as bibliographic citations. Most importantly, the use of the Chicago style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of material by other authors.

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