Citing Sources & Style Manuals

Why cite your sources?

Citing your sources is important for a variety of reasons, including:

• It gives credit to the authors of the sources you used
• It provides your reader with more information about your sources
• It shows your credibility
• It prevents plagiarism!

The easiest way to prevent plagiarism is by correctly noting your sources during research and citing your sources in your writing and presentations.

When to cite your sources

• When you use an exact quote
• When you restate or paraphrase an idea from a resource
• When you summarize a work
• All sources you use should be included in the References or Works Cited page