7 Citation and Academic Integrity
Learn how citation systems connect in-text references to full source details, what material to cite, how to document sources accurately, and how to meet broader academic integrity responsibilities.
Why matters
Academic writing makes its relationship to other research visible. acknowledges borrowed material and helps readers locate and assess its source. means doing this honestly and following the rules that govern the work.
Choose a
A links brief references in the text to fuller source information, usually collected at the end of a paper. Use the system required by your instructor, department, or publisher, and do not mix systems unless instructed.
Common approaches include:
Author–date: Systems such as APA and one form of Chicago identify a source by author and year in the text, with full details in a reference list. For example:
(Lee, 2022).Author–page: MLA commonly identifies an author and a page number in the text, with full details in a Works Cited list. For example:
(Lee 42).Notes and bibliography: This Chicago system uses numbered footnotes or endnotes to document sources and typically includes a bibliography.
Details vary by edition and source type. Consult the official guide for the required style, especially for online material, media, or sources with missing information.
Know what to cite
Cite a source when you use its exact words, or summarize its ideas, rely on its distinctive interpretation or findings, or reproduce its data, images, or other material. A direct quotation needs both quotation marks or an appropriate block-quotation format and a .
A uses your own wording and sentence structure, but it still needs a because the idea came from someone else. Widely known facts may not need citations, but what counts as depends on the subject and audience. When uncertain, cite a reliable source or ask your instructor.
Your own analysis and conclusions do not need to be cited as another person’s work, although the evidence supporting them often does.
Document sources accurately
A full reference should give readers enough information to identify and find the source. Depending on the style and source type, details may include the author, title, publication or container, date, volume and issue, page range, publisher, DOI, or URL.
Each in-text should correspond to a full entry. Each entry should be relevant to the paper and cited in the text, unless the assigned style calls for a broader bibliography.
Keep a research record as you work. For every source, save its bibliographic details and the page, section, or timestamp that supports each note. Mark copied wording clearly as a quotation so that it cannot later be mistaken for your own notes.
Before submitting, check the accuracy of names, dates, quotations, page numbers, and links, and confirm that the paper follows one style consistently. generators and reference managers can help organize information, but check their output against the required style guide and the source itself.
Avoid and responsibly
is presenting another person’s words or ideas as your own by failing to acknowledge them adequately. It can be intentional or accidental. Examples include copying without quotation marks, closely following a source’s wording while calling it a , presenting another person’s idea without credit, or reusing material in a way that violates course or publication rules. A by itself does not make copied wording a proper quotation; the wording must also be marked as borrowed.
To responsibly, understand the passage, set it aside, and explain the idea in genuinely new wording and sentence structure. Then cite the source. Compare your version with the original: if distinctive phrases or structure remain, revise further or quote the passage directly. Preserve the source’s meaning and do not make it appear to support a claim it does not support.
Meet broader integrity responsibilities
extends beyond to honesty about research and authorship. Do not invent or alter evidence, misrepresent what a source says, or claim work by others as your own.
Rules for collaboration, previously submitted work, and generative AI vary across courses and institutions. Check the applicable policy and disclose assistance when required. If you are unsure whether a practice is allowed, ask before submitting.