Sources are used to inform your argument, either by providing supporting evidence or by your refutation of the source's argument
There are three main ways to incorporate a source into your work:
Quoting
Using the exact wording of the source
Put quotation marks around quotes 40 words or shorter
Pur longer quotations in block quotation style
Only use quotes when the exact language of the source matters to your argument
Paraphrasing
Restating the words and content of a short passage or paragraph in your own words
Replacing keywords with synonyms does not count as paraphrasing!
Use paraphrasing to discuss the argument or ideas of a source when exact wording isn't important
Be careful to fairly represent the tone, context, and content of the original source
Summarizing
Explaining the main ideas of an entire work or longer passage in your own words
Use summaries when the passage you want to discuss is too long to paraphrase, or include extraneous details or discussions that are not relevant to your argument
Be careful to fairly represent the tone, context, and content of the original source
Citing Sources
Why do we cite?
Avoiding plagiarism
Showing readers (and professors) that you have done your research
Providing information that allows readers to find the sources you used
Giving credit to authors and content creators
How do we cite?
Citation style guides provide guidelines on formatting citations
Consistent formatting allows for citations to be read and understood easily
In-text citations identify all words or ideas that are not your own
University of Arkansas. Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. "Academic Integrity at the University of Arkansas". Web. 15 July, 2011. {MLA style}
Helpful Citation Information
Helpful websites for commonly used citation styles.
This is a direct link to the MLA Style Center. They have helpful tools, examples, and sample essays to better understand how to cite using the MLA format.
This is a direct link to the Chicago Manual of Style Online. They have helpful tools and examples to better understand how to cite using the Chicago Style format.
This is a direct link to the IEEE Author Center. They have put together guidelines for the IEEE editorial style and have helpful tools to better understand how to use this format.
