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Citation Help

WHY CITE?

  • To give credit to those whose ideas we're referencing
  • To place your writing in context and provide evidence for your arguments
  • To leave a path back to your sources for others to follow
  • To avoid plagiarizing

WHEN TO CITE

  • You quoted, paraphrased, or summarized from a source
  • You used a chart, graph, image or photograph that you did not create yourself
  • You referred to data or statistics or facts or ideas that are specific to a given source

WHEN NOT TO CITE

  • You have written your own ideas, or insight, or opinions.
  • You have referred to information that is considered common knowledge. It is a well known fact that most people would know. It appears across many sources. It is not specialized knowledge. Common knowledge is something that might appear in a general encyclopedia.