Citations and Plagiarism

Always give credit.  Always indicate where sources of information in your paper came from. Giving credit to the source is what is meant by citing the source of information. In term papers, the format you use to cite your sources will generally be determined by the style your instructor asks you to use. Read instructions carefully and follow them. If you're not sure, ask your instructor. Use the contact information on your course syllabus to call or e-mail your instructor for further clarification on the assignment.

The library has multiple copies of both the MLA and APA style manuals which you can check out.

Although they do not publish the complete content of their style guides on the web, there are "official" websites which offer tips to some of the most important style guides in use:

Modern Language Association (MLA)

American Psychological Association (APA)

The Chicago Manual of Style

If you consult online style guides that contain examples for the different style guides, be aware that these sometimes contain errors which conflict with the official style guides.

Links to information on citations:
Diana Hacker's Research and Documentation Online offers guidelines for a humanities, social science, history or science paper.

Citing Sources Guide from Duke University Libraries gives basic information on style guides.

Citing References in Your Paper by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center has formatting hints and various examples.

Troy University Libraries' Citing the World Wide Web in Style helps to document electronic resources.

Plagiarism information links:
Plagiarism Tutorial by San José State University.

Plagiarism.org offers suggestions from software firm Turnitin which specializes in detecting plagiarism.