Feeling Stuck?
Email Ask-A-Librarian
Call
Centennial Campus Reference Desk
719-502-3410
Rampart Campus Reference Desk
719-502-3430
A citation is a reference to the original source of a given piece of information and allows the reader to locate it themselves.
There are two kinds of citations:
Most citations include the following information:
Why do I need to cite my sources?
In writing your research paper, you will usually use the ideas of previous authors. In order to use and build on those ideas in your paper, you must cite where information comes from.
There are three main reasons why you need to cite:
1. Provides solid research to help prove the information you present
2. Allows anyone who reads your paper enough information to find the source you used
3. Prevents plagiarism and gives credit to the original author
There are two parts to citing sources. In-text citations and References (APA), footnotes or endnotes and Bibliography (Chicago), or in-text citations and Works Cited (MLA) page.
Please contact a Librarian if you need any help with your citations!
You need to cite it when:
You do not need to cite:
When in doubt, cite it!