2.5: How to Cite Sources
- Page ID
- 290141
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Despite the differences between citation styles, there are several important basic practices that apply to all of them. When considering how to cite sources keep in mind that the true purpose of citation is to give credit to your sources and to help your audience find those sources. That means that you need to consider which information is necessary for people to find them. It's not entirely uncommon for two authors to have the same name. Additionally, many works are published in journals with the same title. While author's name and journal title can be important pieces of information, they aren't enough alone. Finally, the website addresses (hyperlink URLs) for web content can often break or change over time. They are necessary for finding web sources but more information than just the hyperlink is needed.
Here’s a list of common practices and considerations to follow when citing sources, regardless of the specific citation style:
1. Identify Reliable Sources
- Academic Credibility: Prefer scholarly articles, books, and reputable sources over unverified information.
- Current Information: Use up-to-date sources, especially for scientific and rapidly evolving topics.
- Primary vs. Secondary Sources: Research often relies on secondary sources, but it can be good to use primary sources (original research, documents) when they are available and relevant.
2. Be Consistent
- Use the Same Style Throughout Your Writing: Avoid mixing elements from different citation styles.
- Follow Formatting Rules: Pay attention to font, indentation, and punctuation for each entry to maintain a uniform format. It's generally a good idea to use a reference site like Owl @ Purdue that has examples for citing different sources.
3. Provide Complete Information
- Include All Required Details: Make sure every entry has the author, title, and other required information.
- Collect Information Ahead of Time: As you find sources that you mind use later, it's a good idea to go ahead and record information needed to find that source again later. For website sources, you should include the date that you first accessed the source.
4. Use In-Text Citations Properly
- Whenever you quote or paraphrase information you should include an in-text citation or footnote (for certain styles).
- In-text citations, also called parenthetical citations, are used right after you reference another source of information. Each of these in-text citations should be used to refer to a full citation used in the Works Cited page.
5. Use Citation Tools with Caution
- Double-Check Generated Citations: Even reputable citation tools can make errors; always verify generated citations against the official style guide. Use sites with example citations to help identify errors.
[Database Citation Tool by Daniel Wilson, licensed CC BY NC 4.0]