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Citing Sources: Citing Sources Overview

Learn how to cite your sources

Citation Basics

Citations:

  • Give credit to the work of others that you have used, i.e. avoiding plagiarism

  • Plagiarism is using the words, information, or ideas of another without properly documenting them. The WPI Academic Honesty Policy clearly specifies that plagiarism is an act of academic dishonesty.

  • Allow others to find this information.

  • Increase the credibility of your work.

  • Show what kinds of information you are using.

  • Allow you, the writer, to participate in the scholarly conversation by demonstrating how your work builds upon, questions, confirms, and comments upon the work of others.

What is a citation?

  • A reference to the source of information used in your research.

    • An in-text citation is a brief notation within the text of your paper or presentation, which alerts the reader that a particular source was used here.

    • The full citation provides all necessary details about that source so that a future reader will be able to find the source.

When do you need to cite?

Any time you directly quote

OR

Paraphrase or summarize the essential elements of someone else's idea in your work

YOU NEED TO CITE IT

With an in-text citation and a full citation.

Citations should always tell you:

  • WHO wrote the source material

  • WHAT it’s called

  • WHEN the source was published

  • WHERE and by whom it was published

Citation styles will vary in how they present this information, but these elements are always included.

Citation Styles Vary by Academic Discipline

Different styles tend to be associated with a given academic discipline.

Each style has its own rules about how the various parts of a citation are organized and formatted, but they all provide the same information: WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE.

Most Common Styles

  • MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) – Humanities, especially literature and art
  • APA (American Psychological Association) – Social and behavioral sciences, such as education, psychology, and sociology
  • Chicago – History
  • CSE (Council of Science Editors) – Biological sciences
  • IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) – Engineering and computer science

Citation Styles Vary by Profession