Citation Guide  

Need more detailed information about why to cite your sources? Click on the link below...

If you plagiarize, you could fail your course, be suspended, or even be expelled. Click on the link below to find out how to avoid plagiarism.

When in doubt...ask!

• Lend authority and credibility to your work

• Allow readers (including your instructor!) to cross‐reference sources easily

• Provide consistent format

• Acknowledge academic debts and avoid plagiarism

Citation formats are rules and guidelines that make writing styles uniform within a specific work or publication. They cover the following:

• Layout of the paper (margins, spaces between lines, font size, etc.)
• Documentation of sources within the paper (called in-text citation or parenthetical citation)
• Documentation of sources in the Works Cited

There are many citation formats. Some of the more commonly used ones are MLA format, APA format, and Chicago format.