Controversial Issues: Citation Overview

What is Citation and Why Do It?

• Gives credit to the author of your sources 

• Helps reader/audience find out more about your topic

• Shows where to find particular sources which may include the author's name, date, publishing company location, journal title

• Helps avoid plagiarism

What is Citation Style?

• Determines the necessary information for a citation and how the information is arranged, as well as punctuation and other formatting
• MLA (Modern Language Association) format is used for humanities and literature works
• APA (American Psychological Association) is used for technical and scientific works

Watch the following video, which discusses the definition, purpose, benefits, and basics of citation:

"Citation: A (Very) Brief Introduction" by NCSU Libraries is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Plagiarism is the copying or close imitation of information from a published source

Plagiarism is not allowed at San Jose City College. If a student is caught plagiarizing, he or she could fail the class or even be expelled. To avoid plagiarism you must put quotation marks around information that is directly copied from a source and cite all thoughts, ideas, arguments, research, quotations and obscure facts taken from your sources using a recognized citation format like MLA or APA.

Use EasyBib, BibMe or KnightCite to help build your MLA or APA citations