Citing your sources is important for giving credit to the work of others and avoiding plagiarism.
In the world of academia (and beyond), proper attribution of sources also demonstrates how you are engaging and adding to the existing body of knowledge. By citing your sources, you are entering into the scholarly conversation.
Questions or concerns about citations? Please contact your course librarian , or your campus Writing Center.
There are many different citation styles to choose from but APA, MLA and Chicago are the three most commonly used in academic works.
APA (American Psychological Association) is typically used for the traditional sciences such as Math and Chemistry, while the MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used for humanities and social sciences topics such as Anthropology, Cultural Studies or Literature and finally, the Chicago Manual of Style is often used in Art and History topics.
If you're unsure which style to use in your course assignments, consult your syllabus or reach out to your professor. You may also consult one of the library guides below to help you get started:
If you need additional assistance, please make an appointment with your subject librarian or with your campus writing center.
Citation Managers are tools to help you keep track of your citations as you research and to create/format your citations and bibliography. For example, Zotero allows you to keep citations, full text articles, and other research resources organized in one place. You can also use these tools to format your bibliographies and the notes/citations in your papers according to the appropriate style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
Watch this video to learn more about Zotero
Images were originally borrowed from Saint Anselm College Geisel Library's research guide, "Understanding Citations."
