Whenever you write a research paper, you'll need to use outside sources to provide evidence for your arguments. You can use those sources in two forms:
Whether you quote directly or paraphrase, you must include an in-text citation after you use the source to indicate that the information came from someone else. Then, follow it up with a complete citation -- with all relevant publication information for the source -- in your References or Works Cited page. More information on citations can be found on our "Formatting Citations" page.
Beware patchwriting! Patchwriting is the process of mixing up another person’s words with your own, changing a few individual words but keeping the same language or sentence structure. Patchwriting is considered plagiarism.
Proper citations contain two components:
The in-text citation is typically a shortened version of the reference citation and will include the author last name, year of publication, and page number (if quoting directly). It is located immediately after the use of the source in your paper or research.
The reference citation will contain the complete publication information for the source, including the author(s) last name, year of publication, title of work, title of journal (if using an article), and the volume and issue number (if using a journal article). It will be located on a separate page at the end of your paper. The page will be titled References (if using APA) or Works Cited (if using MLA).