27 Strategy: Citing Sources

What does it mean to “cite a source?”
Citing a source is a way to properly acknowledge that you took words, information, and ideas from another place. Citing is a way to identify the work of others and to give credit to the original source of information. It can be done within the body of a text as well as at the end in a reference or works cited page.

Why do I have to cite my sources?

• It gives credit to the authors of the sources you used
• It strengthens your position as a writer and researcher by gathering credible outside support for your ideas
• It enables your reader to locate your sources
• It shows your credibility by demonstrating the accuracy and reliability of your information
• It helps you to avoid plagiarism

How do I cite my sources?

Depending on the course you are taking, each may require a different citation format. APA format is one that is commonly used in many of the sciences and social sciences. Because of its frequent use, let’s take a closer look at citing sources in APA format.

Basic in-text citation in APA format:

After a direct quote in text, put the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number in parenthesis. (Smith, 2018, p. 32).

Example: “….direct quote….” (Smith, 2018, p. 32).

Putting a quote inside a paragraph:

From the section above, you can see the basic information needed to cite a source in text. Now, though, you’ll need to fit in the direct quotes and source information seamlessly inside your paragraphs. Rather than throw the quote in wherever, leave it there, and move on, a few things need to be done.

Introduce the quote (explain the who, where, when, etc.).

Set up the quote and introduce the source using some of the initial who, where, when questions. Here are a few examples:

• According to [author’s last name; name of journal; name of a study] “………….”
• __________ states that _____________
• In an article entitled ________, by ________ it is discussed that _________

Insert the quote/paraphrase and the source citation.

· “Our purpose is to examine what we know about the overall structure of intervention sessions” (Caldwell, 2013, p. 29).

· Caldwell (2013) acknowledges, “our purpose is to examine what we know about the overall structure of intervention sessions (p. 29).

Restate the quote and its ideas, apply it, respond to it, continue the discussion, and so forth.

Many people forget this last part. What does the information mean? How does it fit in with your perspective/point/argument? How can you apply it to other related ideas? Think about some of these questions and pick an appropriate way to end and to wrap up the quote and its ideas.

For additional information on citing sources, take a look at the following resource: https://www.oercommons.org/courses/citation-documentation/view