Page 20: Citations

In the course of preparing a research paper you will be consulting different sources of information on your chosen topic. As you proceed with your research it is essential to record the relevant information, i.e. author, title and publication details, for each item that you consult. When you take notes be sure to include the above information with the correct page numbers. You will need these later when you start documenting your sources.

In addition to making notes within your text for information borrowed from other people's work (parenthetical documentation, footnotes), you must list all the materials that you have used while preparing your paper at the end in a bibliography or a list of works cited or reference list.

These steps are crucial if you are to avoid plagiarism. Information on plagiarism and cyber-plagiarism can be found in the June 2003 issue of College & Research Libraries News and in the March 2007 issue of College & Research Libraries News.

There are many different styles for citing sources. In Richmond you should adopt the MLA style for all your work except in cases where your tutor has specifically told you otherwise.

The styles currently available are:

• MLA - Modern Languages Association
• APA - American Psychological Association
• Harvard - (from Harvard Business School)

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/s/993.aspx