1. Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)  Select one or more databases and
conduct your search.
 Go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/  Once you find an article you want to use,
 OWL has many writing tools, including
U. Grant Miller
click on the article title.
APA and MLA Formatting and Style  On the right is a list of “Tools.” Library
Guides as well as tips to avoid plagiarism.  Click on “Cite”
 Click on the links in the box labeled “Most
Popular Resources.”
Help Guide
Citations
 Choose the citation style you want to use.
 Be careful with this and other auto- Citations give credit to other
generated citation machines. They
might contain mistakes. You should authors for their words or ideas.
EBSCO Databases
always check citations with an Use this guide to understand
 To access ESCBO databases, go to authoritative citation guide. why citations are important,
http://www.washjeff.edu/library what the different styles are,
 Click on “Databases” in the Quick Links and what electronic and print
box. Print Citation Guides
sources are available to help
The following latest-edition guides are located you with in-text citations and
at the Research Services desk:
creating a bibliography.
 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers (MLA)
 A Manual for Writers of Research Pa-
pers, Theses, and Dissertations
(Chicago/Turabian)
 Publication Manual of the American Psy-
 Scroll down and click on “EBSCOhost” chological Association (APA)
We also have A Short Guide to Writing About
Biology, located on the New Book shelving
along the wall by the windows and computer
stations on the first floor.
Washington & Jefferson College

2. Why cite? Research and Documentation Online  The guide covers citations for every
source imaginable, from scholarly articles
 Referencing sources provides authority  Go to http://www.washjeff.edu/library to video clips to blog posts.
for the statements made in your work.  Click on “External Resources”  Every citation style section has an easy-
Without citations, those statements would to-use pull down menu where you can
be seen as your personal opinions. select the source you want to cite and
 A bibliography is documentation of the then go directly to an example citation.
work you’ve done on your paper.
When to cite?
 Any time you quote, paraphrase, or refer Menu Options
to someone else’s work, you must
provide a citation for that person’s work.  Finding Sources: Provides helpful links to
 This means you should cite even if it’s databases, indexes, websites, and
just for a homework assignment! reference books on topics within your
research field.
 Click on “Virtual Reference”
 Documenting Sources: Examples of in-
Why is accuracy important? text and bibliographic citations as well as
a sample paper so you can see the
 Every college has an academic honesty citations in action.
policy that addresses plagiarism.
 Inaccurate or incomplete citations of
sources may result in a charge of
plagiarism.
 Citations need to be complete to be
properly verified – leaving out a title or
page numbers indicates an incomplete  Click on the first link under “Citation style
citation and may raise red flags to your sites”
professor.
 Your professor may question the
authority of your paper and lower your
grade accordingly.
 The consequences can be even worse
than a bad grade if you are charged with  Extra features located on the homepage
plagiarism. include Tips for Evaluating Sources, a
 This guide is one of the best online. It List of Style Manuals, and a Glossary of
What are citation styles? includes sections on four citation styles: Research Terms.
MLA for humanities, APA for social
 The three main styles of citation are MLA, sciences, Chicago/Turabian for history,
APA, and Chicago/Turabian. and CSE for some of the sciences.
 Make sure you know what style your  It provides examples of both in-text
professor wants your citations in, citations and bibliographic lists of works
because there are differences! cited.