16 Giving credit and citing sources 101
Once you have started reading the sources you have found, you can use them in your writing or assignments. You can combine them with your own thoughts and ideas in your writing. As you do this, you need to “cite” your sources. “Citing” means telling your reader (usually your professor) who’s words or ideas you are using. You should cite anytime you use someone else’s words or ideas — even if they are from websites. Learn more about citations with our Plagiarism tutorial.
What Does a Citation Look Like?
A citation is typically found in two places:
| In-Text Citations | Reference Lists/Bibliographies |
|---|---|
| In addition to mood management motivations for viewing online cat-related media, news accounts suggest that many people watch cat videos online to avoid work or unpleasant tasks. (FlorCruz, 2013; Garber, 2012). While online cat media is generally humorous or adorable, it may bring with it hedonic pleasures but little educational or utilitarian gains. Research on general motivations for media use also points to procrastination as a reason why individuals watch entertainment media. | Agrawal, H.C.. Fox, M.W.. Himwich, W.A. 1967. Neurochemical and behavioural effects of isolation-rearing in the dog. Life Sci. 6, 71-78.
Beerda, B., Schilder, M.B., van Hooff, JA, de Vries, H.W., Mal,J.A, 1999a. Chronic stress in dogs subjected to social and spatial restriction. I. Behavioural responses. Physiol. Behav. 66, 233-242. Beerda, B., Schilder, M.B., Bernadina, W., van Hooff, J.A, de Vries, H.W., Mol,J.A., 1999b. Chronic stress in dogs subjected to social and spatial restriction. II. Hormonal and immunological response. Physiol. Behav. 66, 243-254. |
Quick Tip
Avoid google stitching!
What is google stitching you ask? It is something your instructors all know about (and don’t really like). It is copying half of one sentence and pasting it with half of another sentence. Instead, in academic writing, you should try to quote, paraphrase, or summarize. We recommend checking out the Academic Integrity at Tulsa Community College ebook for more information.
What about EasyBib? ‘Cause I love EasyBib!
Tools like EasyBib are good but the online databases TCC Library subscribes to (and tools like Google Scholar) will do it for you (#EvenEasier). After you find a source, look for quotes or a link that says “cite.” Here are a couple of screenshot examples:
- Example from Academic Search Premier article database
2. Example from Google Scholar
Got lots and lots of sources?
If you have a research paper or assignment with 10+ sources you might want a fancier tool. We recommend Zotero. This a free, online tool that you download. It will organize your PDFs, automatically insert the in-text citation with a plug-in with Word or Google Docs, and then create the bibliography/reference list in seconds in whichever citation style you need for your assignment. If you’re interested, we have a Zotero guide to help you get started. (P.S. If you opt to not download Zotero, they also offer the online tool ZoteroBib to help you build your citations one by one.)
What’s your style?
If you aren’t sure what “citation style” your instructor wants, check your assignment or ask. It could be APA or MLA or Chicago or Turabian or Science citation style or something else.
Choose an option to move forward.
