Your librarian
Citing sources
Why cite?
It's important to cite your sources, for a variety of reasons:
- To give credit to the author(s) of your sources.
- To allow your readers to locate your sources.
- To show that you thoroughly researched your topic and can support your claims.
- So you don't get in trouble for plagiarizing.
"If it is not your original words or ideas, give credit to the person whose words or ideas you are using," advises the UA's Dean of Students Office. Plagiarism violates the UA Code of Academic Integrity. You don't want to face these sanctions.
Citation resources
There are a variety of citation styles. Use the one specified by your instructor. If one isn't specified, the field of business typically uses American Psychological Association (APA) style.
These guides will help you format citations correctly:
- OWL (Online Writing Lab) Research & Citation Resources: This excellent resource from Purdue University covers APA, Chicago, and MLA styles. It shows how to properly format in-text citations, footnotes and endnotes, reference lists, and more.
- Citation Guide: The library's guide covers APA, MLA, and the Chicago Manual of Style. It also lists citation/bibliography software options, such as RefWorks, EndNote Web, Mendeley, and Zotero.
Managing citations
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool that helps you collect, manage, cite, and share your research sources. If you've never used Zotero before, you'll need to download it and then register for a free account. For help getting started, see the Zotero Quick Start Guide.
Group members can use Zotero Groups to collaborate on their project. Members can create a new Zotero group and then share project resources online.
NOTE: If you prefer using RefWorks, Mendeley, or EndNote Web, those programs are fine too.
Avoiding plagiarism
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Accidental Plagiarism - Don't Let It Happen to YouThis tutorial shows how accidental plagiarism can occur and how to avoid it.
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Documenting your Sources: APALearn how to document your sources in citations using APA style.
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Quoting, Paraphrasing, and SummarizingThis helpful resource from the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University includes a practice exercise.