What is a citation?

A citation identifies information you have used in writing your paper. You can cite books, articles, videos, speeches and more. A listing of citations can be called a "bibliography" or "works cited" or simply, "references."

Why cite?

You must cite your sources whenever you use someone else's words, images, or ideas to give that person credit for his/her intellectual property. Citing sources is also necessary so the reader can find the information you used in your research. Citing sources will help you avoid plagiarism. 

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism occurs when you use someone else's intellectual property without properly crediting them, and it is a serious offense. Always cite your sources whether you quote or paraphrase.

To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use:

• another person's idea, opinion, or theory
• any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings--any pieces of information--that are not common knowledge
• quotations or paraphrase of another person's actual spoken or written words

To learn more about plagiarism and how to avoid it, check out Highline Library's Plagiarism Tutorial or this tutorial on What Every Student Needs to Know about Plagiarism.

APA Style

1. Printable Guide [PDF version]

   These are succinct, well-laid out guides that cover the most common citation situations and give examples of each.

2. Sample Paper

   An APA style paper to help you format your own paper.

3. Tutorial

   This is an excellent tutorial. You can click to the specific information you need.

4. Additional Sources -providing more in-depth information and examples

   Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style American Psychological Association (2010 ed.) Includes information about citing web sites, etc.
   
   Electronic Sources Guide Have questions specifically about citing electronic resources? Look here!
   
   In-text Citations for APA style (2010 ed.) Includes a table with information on how to do in-text citations for multiple authors.
   
   The Alvin Sherman Library  Includes a collection of How Do I Cite? videos
   
   Diane Hacker A "how-to" for research and documentation. Includes in-text citations, the works cited page, and sample papers.
   
   The OWL at Purdue  A great source for APA formatting and style, with examples.
   
   Duke University Library Provides examples for all citation styles in Citing Sources Within Your Paper and Assembling a List of Works Cited.
   
   Using a DOI vs. a URL in APA Style (2010 ed.) Shows when to use a DOI and when to use a URL in your APA citations.
    
    

Chicago Style

1. Sample Paper

   A Chicago style paper to help you format your own paper.

2. Additional Sources -providing more in-depth information and examples

Diane Hacker A "how-to" for research and documentation. Includes in-text citations, the works cited page, and sample papers.

The OWL at Purdue  A great source for Chicago formatting and style, with examples.

Duke University Library Provides examples for all citation styles in Citing Sources Within Your Paper and Assembling a List of Works Cited.

CSE Style

1. Sample Paper

   A CSE  style paper to help you format your own paper.

2. Additional Sources -providing more in-depth information and examples

   Diane Hacker A "how-to" for research and documentation. Includes in-text citations, the works cited page, and sample papers.
   
   Ohio State University Provides examples from Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 7th edition, 2006.
   
   Duke University Library Provides examples for all citation styles in Citing Sources Within Your Paper and Assembling a List of Works Cited.

MLA Style

1. Printable Guide [PDF version]

   These are succinct, well-laid out guides that cover the most common citation situations and give examples of each.

2. Sample Paper

   A MLA style paper to help you format your own paper.

3. Additional Sources -providing more in-depth information and examples

   Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style Modern Language Association (2009 ed.) Shows formatting information for MLA style.
   
   Diane Hacker A "how-to" for research and documentation. Includes in-text citations, the works cited page, and sample papers.
   
   The OWL at Purdue  A great source for MLA formatting and style, with examples.
   
   Duke University Library Provides examples for all citation styles in Citing Sources Within Your Paper and Assembling a List of Works Cited.

Citation Software

• Citation Machine (The Landmark Project)