A citation is a reliable way to lead your reader back to the materials you used in your research. Citations are essential for avoiding plagiarism and for demonstrating that you know how to use resources well.
Cite your sources any time you use someone else's words or someone else's ideas.
What's In a Citation
Citations typically include the title of the resource, the title of the container (that is, the larger resource that contains the piece you are using), the author, and the creation date.
Other information may be needed depending on the type of resource you are citing and on the citation style you are using.
Keep in mind that a URL (a web address) is not a citation.
Styles
There are many citation styles, each with their own requirements. The three most often used at Oakton on MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), and Chicago Style (sometimes called Turabian). Your instructor will tell you what is required for your class. It's important to be consistent--use the same style throughout your paper.
Excelsior University's Online Writing Lab provides excellent models for creating citations. Here are their guides for:
Part of your citation will be integrated into your own writing. You will need to let your readers know when you borrow words or ideas from someone else. This is called an in-text citation. It will look something like this:
Some states recognize that people can't do two things at once. "In Honolulu, it's illegal to text or even look at your phone while crossing the street" (Willington).
I wrote the first sentence. I quoted the second sentence from Daniel T. Willington's article "The High Price of Multitasking."
The other part of your citation has more detail and will come at the end of your paper. It will be a list of all the sources you cited in your paper. It will look something like this:
Willingham, Daniel T. "The High Price of Multitasking." New York Times, 15 July 2019, p. A21(L). Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A593326542/OVIC?u=uiuc_oak&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=509fa12d.
Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.
These examples are in MLA. Other citation styles will look a bit different, but the overall concept is the same.
Some of Our Databases Have Citation Tools
These can create citations for you. Electronic citation tools are not 100% correct all the time, but they are good and getting better.
