Citing Your Sources
Citing the sources that you use for research is part of ethical
Internet use and academic integrity. The sources that you
use for ideas and information must be cited as well as the actual
quotes that you use from the sources. If your sources are not
cited, it
is plagiarism or stealing another person's work. This is also a
copyright
violation. These guidelines are to help you easily cite your
sources
correctly!
There are three main methods of citing your sources: the MLA, the
APA, and the
AMA. The MLA is the Modern Language Association style and is the
most commonly used style in literature, arts, and social studies
classes. The
APA is the American Psychological Association style and it is most
commonly used in psychology, education, social sciences and graduate
school. The AMA is the American Medical Association style and is
used for medicine, health, and biological sciences. The styles are all
similar but there are some critical differences. Use the
MLA style unless your teacher specifies otherwise.
Some sites on the Internet will also help you cite your
sources. One of the best is the OWL Writing Lab at Purdue
University,
which contains the MLA and APA guidelines as well as specifics about
how to write a paper, including instructions for using quotations and
footnotes.
General Guidelines for Citing Sources:
1. All sources that you use for research should be cited
including sources where you obtain ideas and information, sources that
you quote directly, and sources that you paraphrase or write in your
own words. When in doubt, always give credit to the original
creator.
2. Cite your sources on a page or slide titled Works Cited or
Bibliography. If you copy pictures or graphics or include music,
you should also copy and paste the web site or list the sources on the
slide or page that contains the picture, graphic, or music,
3. All sources should be cited including: Internet
sites, databases, books, magazines, newspapers, news broadcasts, TV or
radio shows, a movie or video recording, a song or a musical
performance, a map or chart, a cartoon, an advertisement, a lecture or
speech, and a personal interview.
4. List your sources alphabetically according to the author's last
name. If there is no author, use the first word of the title
excluding a, an or the.
5. Follow the citation guidelines using all of the information that
you
have for the source. Since each source is different, you will be
making many choices. Use your best judgement!
Citation Examples:
Book with one author: Golding,
William. The Lord of
the Flies. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1954.
Author:
William Golding
Title:
Lord of
the Flies
Place of Publication: New York
Publishing Company: Penguin Putnam
Date of Publication: 1954
Internet Site: Climate Change. 19
Nov. 2007. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 27 Nov.
2007. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/>.
Author:
None
Title of Web Page/Article:
Climate Change
Date site created/updated:
19 Nov. 27
Sponsoring Agency/Company:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Date I accesssed site:
27 Nov. 2007
URL address:
<http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/>.
Database Article:
Gelbspan, Ross. "Global Warming Is a
Serious Environmental Threat." Opposing Viewpoints: The
Environment. Ed. William Dudley. San
Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing
Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. PRINCETON H S. 27 Nov.
2007
<http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010132215&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=tlc109114118&version=1.0>.
Author:
Ross Gelbspan
Title of web article:
"Global Warming is a Serious
Environmental Threat."
Printed Publication Information:
Opposing Viewpoints: The
Environment. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Grennhaven
Press, 2001.
Online Database Information:
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.
Thomson Gale.
Name of Library I accessed Database: Princeton
High School
Date I accessed:
27 Nov. 2007
URL Address:
http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type+retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId+EJ3010132215&source=gale&srcprod
=OVRC&userGroupName=tlc109114118&version=1.0
Citation Tools
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