Citing your sources is crucial when writing academic papers. When you quote or paraphrase the source (such as a piece of writing, a publication or a web page), it is mandatory to provide credit to the author.
Inadequately citing the sources you’ve used is considered plagiarism since you’re using your ideas from someone else’s in a way as if they were the ones you came up with.
The most frequently employed citation formats can be described as APA or MLA. Scribbr’s Citation Generator provides the most efficient method of citing sources in these formats. Enter the DOI, URL, or title, and then we’ll produce a correct and adequate formatting reference.
What is a Citation?
For starters, let’s look at what precisely a citation is. Citations are the way you inform your readers that you used data from other sources within your work. The citation also explains the authorities and provides details for readers to locate them. It could include authors’ names, publication dates, or page numbers. The specific information you fit within the citation will depend on your citation style. Check out the manual for citations of your chosen style to learn more about the best way to create citations that follow your style. The most popular types include MLA format, Chicago style, and APA style.
Identifying Sources in the Body of Your Paper
If you are the first to reference the source, referring to the author(s), title, genre (book or article, website or.) is generally recommended. If your head is essential to the work you are writing about, then you should present it with a paragraph or two that summarizes the significance and critical ideas. In most cases, add this information to the start or end of a phrase. As an example, this sentence includes information on the writer and his work before the quote:
In his book The Art of the Novel, Milan Kundera believes that “if the novel should disappear, it will do so not because it has exhausted its powers but because it exists in a world grown alien to it.”
It is also possible to identify the author(s) if they are not well-known or if there is a reason to think your reader may need to learn about them. The authors should be identified as artists, economic analysts or physicists. Suppose you are unable to find any information about the writer or their work and are unable to find specific information about them. In that case, it’s best to mention the source’s source and what made you believe it’s reliable and worthy of citation. As an example,
In his essay published at the Asian Studies conference held at Duke University, Sheldon Geron examines the relationship between states, unions, and small businesses in Japan from the 1950s to the 1980s.
If you’ve already mentioned the author and work you’re quoting in your article and are referencing the same position, you don’t have to repeat them. But, if you have cited various sources and then return to the basis that you previously mentioned and you are referring to the same source, it’s an excellent option to include at the very least the name of the author (and the source if there were several times by this author) to prevent confusion.
What are the sources of electronic information?
Electronic sources are any digital source of information in format. The library is a subscriber to a variety of electronic resources to give students access access. Electronic resources include newspaper articles, journals with full text, company information, e-books and dictionaries, encyclopaedias, electronic images, economic data profiles of industry Market research, and more.
Do I need to include additional information in my reference to electronic sources?
Referencing online or electronic sources may need to be clarified, and it’s not easy to decide what data you need to provide or how you can find the information. It is generally recommended to include as much detail about authorship as well as the location of the source and its availability.
Online or digital sources require many of the exact details that print sources do (author date, year of publication and title, and the publisher). In some instances, more information is required:
The page’s paragraph, page or section number. What you use to cite is contingent on the information that is available, as many electronic and internet-based sources need sections, pages or paragraphs.
Determine the format used by the website you access, like Podcast, E-book, etc.
Provide a precise date of access when using online sources. That will indicate when a reference was downloaded or viewed.
Give the URL of a web-based source, like an address for a website or database.
Why Do We Have Citations?
The requirement to compose citations is a tedious process for writing papers. However, properly citing sources when you register your research can ensure you get an improved grade and create an original piece of work that contributes to your research topic.
It does not matter if you use MLA format, APA formatting, or another citation style. It is critical to cite sources. You must be doing it every time.
Here are some reasons for you to use sources when you write your documents:
Citations Provide Hard Evidence of Your Thesis/Ideas
Citing credible sources to back your assertion, also known as your thesis statement, gives you credibility as a researcher. This also allows room to conduct further investigation and fact-checking.
Extra points: Locate a way to list a few sources with the opposite view or concept, then show readers why the viewpoint you are defending is incorrect by backing up your assertion by citing credible sources. If you can accomplish this, you’re well in the process of getting the reader on your side.
A good tip is to have multiple citations from an extensive array of sources relevant to your thesis, demonstrating to your teacher that you’re conducting thorough research on a recognized topic.
Citations Give Credit to the Right People
Citing sources helps ensure your teacher or student can differentiate your ideas against the concepts from your sources and those of others in your research field. It also ensures that the resources used are correctly credited for the author’s work. As a student, you are given the proper appreciation for your unique contribution to the subject. Citations can be a suitable method of placing your work into the broader scope of the issue. They are also an excellent method for your teacher or instructor to determine your dedication towards the job you are working on. Doing more than your project is a great idea!
Citations Promote Originality and Prevent Plagiarism
The purpose of the research project is not to duplicate data already located in other places. You can use Google to help us with it! Your project aims to promote an original concept or re-invent the existing image backed by credible sources to support your idea. Directly referencing or copying sources with no proper citations could result in an unsatisfactory grade and accusations of academic infidelity. When you keep your concepts with reliable sources, you’ll be able to stay clear of the traps of plagiarism and encourage the conduct of further studies on your topic. For people to discover the unique viewpoint on your subject and ensure consistency across your work, it’s best to follow a particular standardized citation style like APA style and MLA format.
Citation Styles Summary
This table can be a guide for correctly citing your sources. If you’re employing other sources of information to conduct your study, you can refer to this article on how to reference the source in APA. PowerPoint within APA.
In the end, if you wish to bypass all the difficulties of making citations, you should use a bibliography generator. It is ideal to create proper authorities using diverse styles yourself.