Basics
Citing sources properly is essential to avoiding plagiarism in your writing. Not citing sources properly could imply that the ideas, information, and phrasing you are using are your own, when they actually originated with another author. Plagiarism doesn't just mean copy and pasting another author's words. Review Amber's blog post, "Avoiding Unintentional Plagiarism," for more information! Plagiarism can occur when authors:
- Do not include enough citations for paraphrased information,
- Paraphrase a source incorrectly,
- Do not use quotation marks, or
- Directly copy and paste phrasing from a source without quotation marks or citations.
Read more about how to avoid these types of plagiarism on the following subpages and review the Plagiarism Detection & Revision Skills video playlist on this page. For more information on avoiding plagiarism, see our Plagiarism Prevention Resource Kit.
Also make sure to consult our resources on citations to learn about the correct formatting for citations.
What to Consider
Citation issues can appear when writers use too much information from a source, rather than including their own ideas and commentary on sources' information. Here are some factors to consider when citing sources:
- Did I provide adequate commentary on the cited material?
Remember that the cited material should illustrate rather than substitute for your point. Make sure your paper is more than a collection of ideas from your sources; it should provide an original interpretation of that material. For help with creating this commentary while also avoiding personal opinion, see our Commentary vs. Opinion resource.
- Did I begin and end my paragraphs in my own voice?
The opening sentence of each paragraph should be your topic sentence, and the final sentence in the paragraph should conclude your point and lead into the next. Without these aspects, you leave your reader without a sense of the paragraph's main purpose. Additionally, the reader may not understand your reasons for including that material.
- Have I used the cited material to support my specific thesis?
All material that you cite should contribute to your main argument [also called a thesis or purpose statement]. When reading the literature, keep that argument in mind, noting ideas or research that speaks specifically to the issues in your particular study. See our synthesis demonstration for help learning how to use the literature in this way.
- Have I relied too heavily on one source?
Most research papers should include a variety of sources from the last 3-5 years. You may find one particularly useful study, but try to balance your references to that study with research from other authors. Otherwise, your paper becomes a book report on that one source and lacks richness of theoretical perspective.
- Have I included too many direct quotations?
Direct quotations are best avoided whenever possible. While direct quotations can be useful for illustrating a rhetorical choice of your author, in most other cases paraphrasing the material is more appropriate. Using your own words by paraphrasing will better demonstrate your understanding and will allow you to emphasize the ways in which the ideas contribute to your paper's main argument.
Plagiarism Detection & Revising Skills Video Playlist
Plagiarism Detection and Revision Skills Video Playlist [8 videos]
Citing Sources Video Playlist
Citing Sources Video Playlist [7 videos]
Related Resources
Referencing allows you to acknowledge the contribution of other writers and researchers in your work. Any university assignments that draw on the ideas, words or research of other writers must contain citations. Referencing is also a way to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed
words and ideas. By citing the work of a particular scholar, you acknowledge and respect the intellectual property rights of that researcher. As a student or academic, you can draw on any of the millions of ideas, insights and arguments published by other writers, many of whom have spent years researching and writing. All you need to do is acknowledge their contribution to your assignment. Referencing is a way to provide evidence to support the assertions and claims in your own
assignments. By citing experts in your field, you are showing your marker that you are aware of the field in which you are operating. Your citations map the space of your discipline and allow you to navigate your way through your chosen field of study, in the same way that sailors steer by the stars. References should always be accurate, allowing your readers to trace the sources of information you have used. The best way to make sure you reference accurately is to keep a record of all the
sources you used when reading and researching for an assignment. Citations also make your writing more persuasive. Exercise: Look at the two paragraphs below: which one seems more authoritative? Paragraph one The importance, or otherwise, of lyrics in popular music, and academic approaches to song lyrics, is subject to much debate. The supposed ‘poor’ standard or presumed meaninglessness of popular music lyrics, become a means to critique popular music. Conversely, it could be argued that too much attention is given to a
song’s lyrics, to the point where the music itself is overlooked; it is also possible to overestimate the degree to which the music listener actually listens to the words, or perceives them to be the site of meaning in a song. Nonetheless, Simon Frith suggests that lyrics do allow songs to be ‘used in particular ways’: lyrics facilitate certain ‘creative articulations’. In the case of protest music, the lyrics allow a song to be made to speak to political issues. Paragraph two The importance, or otherwise, of lyrics in popular music, and academic approaches to song lyrics, is subject to much debate [Frith, 1998; Shepherd, 1999; Fornas, 2003]. The supposed ‘poor’ standard or presumed meaninglessness of popular music lyrics, become a means to critique popular music. Conversely, it could be argued that
too much attention is given to a song’s lyrics, to the point where the music itself is overlooked; it is also possible to overestimate the degree to which the music listener actually listens to the words, or perceives them to be the site of meaning in a song [Shepherd, 1999:172]. Nonetheless, Simon Frith suggests that lyrics do allow songs to be ‘used in particular ways’ [cited in Martin, 1995:273]: lyrics facilitate certain ‘creative articulations’ [Johnson, 2000]. In the case of protest music,
the lyrics allow a song to be made to speak to political issues. The paragraphs are identical, except for the absence of citations from paragraph 1. The first paragraph may be just as interesting as the second, but within an academic context, a context that requires you to show from where you have taken ideas, the second has far more authority, it is more persuasive. It shows that the ideas you are discussing are matters that are important to your particular academic community. Printed books are not the only sources that require acknowledgement. ANY words, ideas or information taken from ANY source requires a reference. Reference when you are using words or ideas from: You also need to reference when you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts or pictures. No need to reference when you are:Citations are not used simply to avoid plagiarism; they have other important roles too.
What kind of information do I need to
reference?