Citing Sources

When you are writing a research paper, you are almost always using the ideas of other people. Whether you find these ideas on the Internet, in a book or periodical or even in a class lecture, you must cite your sources. If you do not, you are guilty of plagiarism. In other words, you have to tell the reader specifically where those ideas originated.

Different disciplines use different formats for citations in professional journals or for student papers. If you are uncertain about which method to use, ask your tutor, check the professional literature, or ask a librarian.

What does the citing method include?

1. In-text Citations
2. Works Cited Page

In-Text Citations: An abbreviated way of documenting your sources within your paper so that the reader sees your source immediately after the quote, paraphrase, or idea.
Works Cited Page: The last page of your paper that fully documents (e.g. author, title, publication company, etc.) all the sources you cited in your paper.

1. In-text citations examples:

• ...Pirmas mums gerai tinomas Lietuvos valdovas buvo garsusis Mindaugas, vadinamas Ismintinguoju (Daugirdaite-Sruogiene V. Lietuvos istorija. Vilnius, 1990, p.39).
• ...Vanda Daugirdaite Sruogiene Lietuvos istorijoje rado: "1529 m. Lietuvos ponai ir bajorai idrinko devyneriu metu karalaiti didtiuoju kunigaikdciu...Taciau nuo 1544 m., tevui dar gyvam esant, Tygimantas Augustas beveik savarankidkai valde Lietuva" (Vilnius, 1990, p.135).
• ...Is nauju darbu minetini iseivijos lietuviu leistoje "Studia Lituanica" serijoje isejes A. M. Budreckio redaguotas istorijos straipsniu ir dokumentu rinkinys "Rytu Lietuva" (Chicago, 1980) bei jo angliskas vertimas "Eastern Lithuania" (Chicago, 1985)...

The other ways of in-text citing are direction at the bottom of the page or at the bibliographical list:

• ..."Raginkiat zmones to trumpo mokslo ismokti, be kurio platesnis mokslas negal stoveti", - rase Martynas Mazvydas¹.

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¹ Mazvydas M. Katekizmas. - Fotogr. ir transp. tekstai. - Vilnius, 1997, p.35

2. How to create a Works Cited page:

Works Cited Page examples used in Lithuania:

Citing sources serves two purposes:

1. The original author is given credit for his or her ideas.
2. The reader is able to locate the sources you used in order to verify the information.

Commonly Used Citation Styles

There are many different citation styles used for academic writing. All of these styles have the same purpose and share similar basic components; they differ, however,  in the order in which the components are presented and in their punctuation. Certain styles are preferred by certain disciplines. Writers in the humanities, for example, most often use MLA (Modern Language Association) style, while APA (American Psychological Association) style is widely used by social scientists.

You should use whichever style your instructor prefers. If he or she does not tell you, ask! If your instructor has no preference, use a style that is appropriate for your field.

Here are some sources of information on MLA and APA style:

MLA Style

• OUC Library publishes a brief guide entitled MLA Citation Style. It is available at all OUC Library locations.
• The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 4th edition, provides much more detailed information about MLA style. It is available in the Reference collection at all OUC Library locations.
  Its call number is LB 2369 .G53 1995.
• The Bibliography Styles Handbook for MLA format is available on the Internet, courtesy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

APA Style

• OUC Library publishes a brief guide entitled Using References in Your Essay: APA Style. It is available at all OUC Library locations.
• The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 4th edition, provides more detailed information about APA style. It is available in the Reference collection at all OUC Library locations.
  Its call number is BF 76.7 .P83 1994.
• The Bibliography Styles Handbook for APA format is available on the Internet, courtesy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Citing Internet Sources

As is the case with many aspects of the Internet, the standards for citation of Internet sources are less well defined than they are for print and other types of information. In general, you need the same information you would for a book or article, as well as the URL and the date the page was last updated and/or the date you viewed it.

The most commonly accepted standards for Internet citation (at least for the time being) can be found in the following sources, both of which cover MLA and APA style:

• Bibliographic Formats for Citing Electronic Information is available on the Web.
• Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information (1996) is available in the OUC Library Reference collection at the North Kelowna and Vernon campuses only.
  Its call number is PN 171 .F56 L5 1996.

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