Getting Started
About Citing
Why do we cite our sources in research papers?
- Give credit where it's due and avoid plagiarism
- Contribute to a scholarly conversation
- Help others understand our work by tracing the origins of our ideas and research
- Help others continue research in the area that our paper is focused
When to cite
It can be difficult sometimes to figure out when to cite. Ultimately, there is no need to cite common knowledge or your own thoughts. However, if you're quoting someone's words, paraphrasing their work, or using their ideas, you need to cite them accordingly. When in doubt, cite it!
Where to Go
The Purdue OWL is one of the best places to go online to get information citing sources in a variety of styles. Use the buttons below to select the style of your choice.
APA
Learn how to cite using American Psychological Association (APA) style: in-text citations, reference pages, and samples.
Learn to Cite in APAChicago
Learn how to cite using Chicago style. While the Purdue OWL link below works great, you should also check out the The Chicago Manual of Style Online.
Learn to Cite in ChicagoMLA
Learn how to cite using American Psychological Association (MLA) style: in-text citations, reference pages, and samples.
Learn to Cite in MLAZotero
Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources.