Writing

1.  Why citing sources is important.  Most academic writing draws from previous research published by others and citing sources gives credit to these researchers.  A citation includes the important elements of author, title, volume, issue, pages, date, URL, etc. and enables others to find and confirm the original source of information. 

2.  There are different citation styles and a manual that guides each style; search our catalog or use this Writing Guide to find a manual.

3.  TIME SAVER!  =  every library database and the books catalog provides a cite feature so you don't have to grab each part (author, title, publication date, etc.) and put a citation together yourself. This feature generates a citation of the research you are viewing in multiple formats. Look for this in the tools or somewhere on the page of the catalog or database screen. It is still your responsibility to verify and correct citations provided through the library's databases as there may be errors.