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#HOW TO PROPERLY CITE SOURCES IN COLLEGE ESSAY HOW TO#

Make a specific reference to the work of another.Use an idea that someone else has expressed.So, citations should be used whenever you: Generally, whenever you borrow someone else’s words or ideas you should give them a credit by using citations.

Basically, citation navigates readers to the references while they take you directly to the source. Using complete citations in the text would be confusing for readers, which is why the reference list exists. Reference – the bibliographic information that guides readers to your source.Citation – brief, often parenthetical information in the body of an essay (or some other type of paper) that refers the reader to the complete reference information.In order to cite sources in the paper properly, you have to know the difference between citations and references: Most people think citations and references refer to the same thing, but they’re entirely different. What is the difference between citations and references? Not only it is encouraged, but citing sources is an important segment of a high-quality essay. Therefore, you should never be afraid of using citations in your essay. Since citations aren’t plagiarism, they make your work unique and original. At the same time, citations also help the reader distinguish your words from someone else’s. How? As mentioned above, it shows you researched the essay topic and made an effort. The truth is the opposite, citing sources emphasizes quality and originality of your work. The answer is simple of course, it wouldn’t! It is not uncommon for students to assume that naming sources of some info would make them seem lazy or cheaters. It is only natural to ask yourself whether inclusion of citations in the essay would make the paper less original. To get these, you have to research and use what you find to back up your arguments.

But, wouldn’t citations make my essay less original?Įverything you write should be original, but at the same time, your paper needs accurate information, evidence, and reliable information. Even mentioning some studies or academic, scientific works isn’t enough if you don’t cite them adequately. So, without citations, there’s no evidence. What’s more, the essay is all about developing arguments and proving your point while providing evidence to back up your claim.

It shows the amount of research you’ve done.

That’s why citations make a clear distinction between your words and someone else’s thus preventing you from taking the rap for some other person’s bad ideas

Not all sources are good or right and a lot of people can disagree with them.

Citations are helpful for people who want to find out more about ideas or where they came from.

There are also some other reasons to cite, including these: Yes, using someone’s work without citing or giving any credit is considered plagiarism, one of the most severe offenses one can make when writing an essay (or any other type of work). The most important reason to cite sources is that it’s the only way to avoid plagiarizing. Let’s be fair here would you be happy if someone decided to use your own words and paper you published without giving credit where credit is due? You’d be mad and you would feel unappreciated. One of the most frequent questions about citing sources is why to do it in the first place. Also, if your essay is published on some website, citation allows readers to learn more about the particular subject. Using citations also gives readers the information necessary to find that source again.įor example, your professor may use that information to look up the accuracy of your paper. What is citation?īasically, a citation is a way of informing a reader (or more of them) that a certain material in your work came from some particular source.

#HOW TO PROPERLY CITE SOURCES IN COLLEGE ESSAY HOW TO#

Throughout this paper, I’m going to show you how to do it and make your essay more professional. This is a huge mistake! Browse for some essays on Google, read them from top to bottom and you’ll see that authors cited the sources they used. But, in an attempt to make the paper original or due to inexperience in this form of writing, it’s not unusual for students to forget to cite sources or leave out citations entirely. Although you have to do a lot, careful planning is the key to composing a high-quality essay without wasting too much time. Essay writing requires a lot of work, you have to analyze the title (or essay question), research the subject thoroughly, create an outline, and it is needless to mention you also have to develop an argument and make your point.