PSYC110: Letourneau: Introduction to Psychology: Citations/References

Citing your sources means telling where you got particular ideas or bits of information that did not originate in your own head; sometimes called giving credit, attributing, or referencing.

A References page (APA format) must be included with a research paper/project. Academic standards require all writers to acknowledge the authors whose work they use when preparing papers and reports. As you research, you should build on the work of previous writers and researchers. Whenever you draw on another's work, you must document your source by indicating what you borrowed--whether facts, opinions, quotations or information and ideas. You MUST indicate the source of the appropriated material so that readers do not mistake them for your own.

Citation or documentation is NOT needed when:

• General information and ideas are broadly known by readers and accepted by scholars (ex. basic biography of an author or the dates of an historical event)
• Proverbs, sayings, and clichés are seldom documented by scholars

Definition:

Derived from the Latin word plagiarius ("kidnapper"), to plagiarize means "to commit literary theft" and to "present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
(Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary, 11th ed., 2003)

If you have any doubt, cite your sources to avoid committing plagiarism.

ADDITIONAL HELP

• BCCC Academic Success Center APA Documentation guide
• Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab): APA Formatting and Style Guide