U-M Library Basics

When writing research papers, you will often need to use outside sources to support your ideas and arguments. A citation is a way to give the authors of these sources credit for their work, while also giving credibility to your research. Citations also allow others to access the information you used later. Citing your sources is an important part of research, as it helps you avoid plagiarism and can strengthen your research.

photo courtesy of zoovroo

When creating and compiling citations, make sure you know:

Parts of a citation for a book:

                                                                                                                                                                                          

We have a research guide dedicated to citation help