Understanding when to cite sources is crucial in academic writing to give credit to the original authors and to avoid plagiarism.
Here's a breakdown specifically tailored for undergraduate students:
- Direct Quotations: Any time you directly quote someone else's words, whether it's a sentence, a phrase, or even a single word, you must provide a citation. This helps readers locate the original source and gives credit to the author.
- Paraphrasing or Summarizing: If you're summarizing or paraphrasing someone else's ideas or arguments, even if you're not using their exact words, you still need to cite the source. It's not just about copying words; it's also about acknowledging the intellectual contributions of others.
- Facts, Statistics, and Data: Whenever you include specific facts, statistics, or data that are not common knowledge, you need to cite the source. Even if the information seems widely known to you, if it's not general knowledge in the field, it should be cited.
- Ideas and Concepts: If you're presenting an idea or concept that originated from someone else's work, you should cite the original source. This applies even if you're not using specific language from the source but are drawing on the author's ideas.
- Images, Graphs, and Charts: If you include images, graphs, charts, or any other visual representation created by someone else, you must provide a citation. This applies whether you reproduce the entire visual or modify it in any way.
- Common Knowledge: You generally don't need to cite information that is considered common knowledge, such as well-known historical events or widely accepted scientific facts. However, if you're unsure whether something qualifies as common knowledge, it's safer to provide a citation.
Remember, the purpose of citations is not just to avoid plagiarism but also to contribute to the scholarly conversation by acknowledging the work of others and providing evidence to support your arguments. If you're ever unsure whether to cite something, talk with your instructor or contact a subject librarian. We also have a handy Citation Styles guide that will help you through the particulars of the citation style you're using.