WHY DO I HAVE TO CITE MY SOURCES?

Why should I bother? It’s about academic honesty – giving credit where credit is due. It’s about protecting yourself in case the information in your research turns out to be inaccurate or biased. It makes you look smarter because you’re using other people to back up your claim. It’s required.

What do I have to cite? Things that NEED cited Exact words (use quotation marks) Paraphrases of someone else’s words Concepts or ideas Facts that are not common knowledge Artwork (photos, graphics, etc.) that is not your own

What do I have to cite? Things that do NOT need cited Your experiences, your observations and insights, your thoughts, and your conclusions about a subject Your results from lab or field experiments Your artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc. “Common knowledge," like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events (but not historical documents) Generally-accepted facts, e.g., pollution is bad for the environment

What do I have to cite? When in doubt, cite it! There are three different ways to use someone else’s information: quote (word for word), paraphrase (put it into your own words) and summarize (give the main idea in your own words). ALL OF THEM need citations! When in doubt, cite it!

In review… The requirement to cite your sources is about academic honesty and good research practice – not to mention making yourself look smarter.