These guides, templates, and videos are designed to help academic writers at various stages of their writing process, including the pre-writing and revising stages.
Guide: Manage Your Sources
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by Library WebTeam
Last Updated Apr 24, 2023
2340 views this year
Why do I need to cite my sources?
Citing sources is how you let readers know what information you have borrowed and where you have borrowed it from.
Most citation styles will ask you to provide a full reference listing for each source you use. In the body of your paper, whenever you borrow information from a source, you’ll place an in-text citation that points to the full reference.
Citations and references are formatted differently depending on the citation style (APA, MLA, etc.).
How do I cite my sources?
Always ask the professor which citation style is required for the assignment.
Cite any information or material that is not your own, including quotations, summaries, paraphrases, images, statistics, and another information that came from someone else.
You do not need to cite your own ideas or general knowledge (keep in mind that general knowledge can vary from discipline to discipline).
If you’re not sure whether to cite something, don’t be afraid to ask. Visit the Library or talk to your instructor.
Details matter! Follow the instructions about punctuation, spacing, and italics carefully.