Boston, MA: Pearson, 2012 Citing Information. The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers. If you are in doubt about whether or not a fact is common knowledge, protect yourself from an allegation of plagiarism and provide a supporting citation, or, ask your professor for clarification about how a factual statement should be cited.īallenger, Bruce P. Appreciate, however, that any "commonly known fact" is culturally constructed and shaped by social and aesthetical biases. The only possible exception to this rule is information that is considered to be a commonly known fact. Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or use direct quotes, if it's not your original idea, the source must be acknowledged. NOTE : In any academic writing, you are required to identify which ideas, facts, thoughts, and concepts are yours and which are derived from the research and work of others. Citing sources as a student in college will help you get in the habit of acknowledging and properly citing the work of others.
FACT REVIEWS THE YEAR ONE CHALLENGE PROFESSIONAL
In the professional world, failure to cite other people's intellectual property ruins careers and reputations and can result in legal action. In academe, failure to cite other people's intellectual property could lead to receiving a failing grade for the assignment or the course.
One of the most effective strategies for locating authoritative, relevant sources about a topic is to review footnotes or references from known sources. Citations to sources helps readers expand their knowledge on a topic. Proper citation allows readers to locate the materials you used.The act of citing sources is also your best defense against allegations of plagiarism.Ĭiting the works of others is important because: