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Citing sources in a paper is an essential part of using information ethically and responsibly. Below are tutorials and links to web pages with information on citing sources and plagiarism. Information on how to cite sources using the style format or conventions your instructor has specified--MLA--is also provided.
Ever wonder why we have to use citations or why they have to be in a certain format? Check out our FAQs for answers!
A citation is a way to tell people that an idea, words, or picture, came from someone else. It is a way of referring to the original work; it tells your reader or audiencewhere you got that idea, words, or picture from.
Image from Google Dictionary
The word "reference" is often used interchangeably with citation. It means the same thing. You are being asked to refer to wherever the information came from originally.
Image from Google Dictionary
A bibliography is a collection of citations or references, usually at the end of a work.
In Western culture, we believe that ideas belong to the creator. Their ideas may come in different forms, whether written, spoken, or visual (like a piece of art or a photo), but it's still their idea. We give credit to those individuals who created the ideas originally. If you don't give credit to who the creator, that's stealing someone else's work and it's known as plagiarism.
Citing is how we give credit. But besides giving proper credit and avoiding plagiarism, there's a number of reasons why a person should cite.
Just like there is a specific format to writing a resume or a letter, citations have specific formats or "styles" as well. These styles set a standard for how to cite and where to put citation information in a paper.
These styles are developed based on the need of the creators, and they usually have slightly different focuses. Some of the most popular ones include:
There are more styles than this, and you can find out more about them on our Citations Guide.
Working with citations, but can't seem to get the hang of it? There are a lot of resources to help you out!
The following websites provide information for the MLA 9th Edition writing style.