Plagiarism Prevention & Awareness

Citations are the key to avoiding plagiarism!

A citation is information about a resource. It generally includes the:

• Author
• Title
• Date of Publication

Citations vary depending on the type of resource. For example, citations of book chapters include the chapter title and book title. Article citations include the article title as well as the journal title.

1. It shows you have put both thought and effort into finding and using your resources
2. It tells your readers where you got your information, so they can find it themselves
3. It shows recognition to authors who have also researched your topic or within your field of interest; it gives credit where credit is due
4. It demonstrates "your integrity and skills as a responsible participant in the conversation of scholarship"
5. It can make you look good – the quality of your sources reflects on you as a scholar and the quality of your work.