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7: How and Why to Cite

  • Page ID
    12084
    • Katelyn Burton
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    Citation Needed
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    One of the most important skills you can develop as a student is the ability to use outside sources correctly and smoothly. Academic knowledge builds on the knowledge of others. When we cite others through our quotations and paraphrases, we start with ideas established by others and build upon them to develop our own ideas.

    Specifically, this section will offer answers to these questions:

    • 7.1: An Overview of Quotations
      A quotation is one way you may make use of a source to support and illustrate points in your essay. A quotation is made up of exact words from the source, and you must be careful to let your reader know that these words were not originally yours.
    • 7.2: An Overview of Paraphrases
      A paraphrase preserves information from a source but does not preserve its exact wording. A paraphrase uses vocabulary and sentence structure that is largely different from the language in the original.
    • 7.3: How to Use Paraphrases and Quotations
      Use signal phrases that mention your source to help your reader distinguish between the source and your own ideas. Do not drop quotes into your paper with no setup or explanation.
    • 7.4: Citations and Plagiarism


    This page titled 7: How and Why to Cite is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Katelyn Burton via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.