Imagine research as a conversation -- scholars are trading ideas back and forth and building on the findings of earlier work. Citing your sources is an important part of contributing to this conversation -- it allows readers to understand how your work fits into the overall conversation.
Citing your sources in a standard style also helps readers tell at a glance what type of source you used (book vs. journal article, etc), and it helps readers find and reference the sources you used.
What is Plagiarism?
The DU Honor Code defines plagiarism as "including any representation of another's work or ideas as one's own in academic and educational submissions."
At DU, plagiarism is seen as a form of academic misconduct and can result in severe consequences. These explanations of the most common types of plagiarism from Bowdoin College can help you learn to detect plagiarism in your own and other's work.
To avoid plagiarism, cite sources when:
Note: You do not need to cite generally accepted knowledge. For more information, see Not-So-Common Knowledge.
A general rule of thumb is: "When in doubt, cite it."
The text above is a direct quote from the Northern Arizona University e-Learning Center's Academic Integrity @ NAU tutorial. The e-Learning Center was paraphrasing Princeton University's guidelines.
What is Plagiarism Detection Software?
DU uses a plagiarism detection software called VeriCite. When a student turns in a paper through Canvas, VeriCite checks the internet and many databases to see if anything has been copied from another person’s work.
To cite a source properly, you need to follow the rules of a particular citation style.
There are many styles, and reformatting citations can take a long time -- so ask your professor about what citation style to use before you start writing your paper.
Common Citation Styles:
Guides, tutorials, and research tools for APA (American Psychological Association) Style.The online edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) provides the full text in HTML or PDF formats as appropriate. The index makes it easier to navigate appropriate sections.
This link takes you directly to Chapter 14, which explains how to format references in ACS Style. Click on the link for the Table of Contents to read the entire Style Guide, which describes how to write, review, submit, and edit scholarly & scientific manuscripts.
An overview by the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The library has multiple print copies of the 8th edition of the CSE manual: "Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers" (2014).
Online Style Guides: