LibGuides: Child and Family Science: Citations

Citing Your Sources

Avoid Plagiarism!

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's ideas or writing as your own. Typically, when you write a research paper, you use primary and secondary sources to support your original ideas and interpretations. Consulting such sources and using them to help you write your paper is expected and appropriate—as long as you keep a few simple things in mind.

1. Try to paraphrase.

Your interpretation of findings shows more of your understanding than using blocks of direct quotes.

2. Put quotation marks around others' original ideas.

Sometimes though, you can't actually say it better than they can. That's fine! Just make sure your readers know it's directly quoted from the article.

3. Always cite the source.

If it's not your original idea or observation, cite the source! This goes for both paraphrases and quotations.

Pay Attention to Citation Styles

While it would be great, there isn't just one way to cite a source. This section is to help you cite your sources properly, using APA (American Psychological Association) or more other common styles like MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago, etc.

Not sure which style to use? Always ask your professor! Often they'll specify which they'd like to see in your paper, but it never hurts to double-check.

APA

APA-7th EDITION

From the American Psychological Association (APA)

APA General Format
The guidelines for paper format apply to both student assignments and manuscripts being submitted for publication to a journal. If you are using APA Style to create another kind of work (e.g., a website, conference poster, or PowerPoint presentation), you may need to format your work differently in order to optimize its presentation, for example, by using different line spacing and font sizes. Follow the guidelines of your institution or publisher to adapt APA Style formatting guidelines as needed.

Basics of APA Tutorial
This tutorial is designed for writers new to APA Style. Learn the basics of seventh edition APA Style, including paper elements, format, and organization; academic writing style; grammar and usage; bias-free language; mechanics of style; tables and figures; in-text citations, paraphrasing, and quotations; and reference list format and order. The Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style tutorial will permanently stay on this site for free.

Sample Paper
This page contains several sample papers formatted in seventh edition APA Style.

In-text Citations
In scholarly writing, it is essential to acknowledge how others contributed to your work. By following the principles of proper citation, writers ensure that readers understand their contribution in the context of the existing literature—how they are building on, critically examining, or otherwise engaging the work that has come before.

Reference List
Check each reference carefully against the original publication to ensure information is accurate and complete. Accurately prepared references help establish your credibility as a careful researcher and writer. Consistency in reference formatting allows readers to focus on the content of your reference list, discerning both the types of works you consulted and the important reference elements (who, when, what, and where) with ease. When you present each reference in a consistent fashion, readers do not need to spend time determining how you organized the information. And when searching the literature yourself, you also save time and effort when reading reference lists in the works of others that are written in APA Style.

Student Paper Checklist

A relatively concise checklist for those who are newer to APA (and a good refresher for everyone else!). A great way to get into the habit of checking these things on your own.

Other Helpful APA Resources

APA 7th Handout Our two page PDF covering common citation and reference types in APA.

APA Style from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL). OWL also has resources for several other citation styles.

DOI Lookup: Crossref
Search "Metadata". Crossref makes research outputs easy to find, cite, link, assess, and reuse. We’re a not-for-profit membership organization that exists to make scholarly communications better.

Citation Generators in Search Tools

Some databases and other library search tools can generate citations for sources that they index. They don't provide the same help with collecting and organizing sources, but this can be a quick and easy way to generate a few references. Be sure to check these automatically-generated citations to make sure they are correct before using them in your paper!