8-How to Cite Sources
Citing sources is often described as a straightforward, rule-based practice. But in fact, there are many gray areas around citation, and learning how to apply citation guidelines takes practice and education. If you are confused by it, you are not alone – in fact you might be doing some good thinking. Here are some guidelines to help you navigate citation practices.
Cite when you are directly quoting. This is the easiest rule to understand. If you are stating word-for-word what someone else has already written, you must put quotation marks around those words and you must give credit to the original author with an in-text citation before or after the quote AND a full bibliographic citation on the Bibliography page of your research project. Not doing so would mean that you are letting your reader believe these words are your own and represent your own effort=PLAGIARISM.
Cite sources when you are summarizing and paraphrasing. This is a trickier area to understand. First of all, summarizing and paraphrasing are two related practices but they are not the same. Summarizing is when you read a text, consider the main points, and provide a shorter version of what you learned. Paraphrasing is when you restate what the original author said in your own words and in your own tone. Either way, you are still presenting someone else’s ideas or work in your research project, so you should cite it.
Both summarizing and paraphrasing require good writing skills and an accurate understanding of the material you are trying to convey. To see a demonstration of summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting, look at the examples at the end of this sample essay from Purdue OWL and skip to the section on When to Quote, Paraphrase or Summarize.
Cite examples and experts when you are claiming something that is highly debatable. For example, if you want to claim that the Patriot Act has been an important tool for national security, you should be prepared to give examples of how it has helped and how experts have claimed that it has helped. Many U.S. citizens concerned that it violates privacy rights won’t agree with you, and they will be able to find commentary that the Patriot Act has been more harmful to the nation than helpful. You need to be prepared to show such skeptics that you have experts on your side, too.
Tip: Why Cite Sources?
This section covers how and when to cite sources. For a discussion of why to cite sources, see Ethical Use of Sources.
When Don’t You Cite?
Don’t cite when it is your own insight. As you learned in The Purpose of Academic Argument, research involves forming opinions and insights around what you learn. You may be citing several sources that have helped you learn, but at some point you must integrate your own opinion, conclusion, or insight into the work. The fact that you are not citing it helps the reader understand that this portion of the work is your unique contribution developed through your own research efforts.
Don’t ci