When to Cite Sources

When to Cite Sources

Remember that citing your sources gives credit to the ideas of others and adds veracity (truth) to your research and readings.

When to cite

• If you quote an author, even if you are only borrowing a single key word, you need to tell your reader the origin of the quotation

• You also need to cite a source:
• if you restate an idea, thesis, or opinion stated by an author
• if you restate an expert's theory or opinion
• if you use facts that are not common knowledge
• if you need to provide an informational or explanatory note

When do you NOT have to cite a reference?

• If the information is well and widely known and indisputable, including mathematical and scientific facts:

The Republicans succeeded in winning the majority in both the House and Senate in the November elections. AIDS is a disease that is managed but not cured.

• Statistics and information that can easily be found in several sources and are not likely to vary from source to source:

The population of the United States is 281 million.

Three types of citations

Parenthetical (in text)

• Documentation within the report itself:

(Jones 5)

• The most commonly used format for student research papers

Endnotes

• explanatory or informational notes placed at the end of the paper:

5. Jones, M. Death Penalty and Teenagers. 23

Footnotes

• Citations placed at the bottom of a specific page in a paper

• Rarely used today in style manuals designed for students in schools and colleges