What is a Citation?

• A short description of the source for your information.
• Contains information on who wrote it, what it is (title), and where you found it (book or other resource title).
• Used to give credit to the sources you use in your writing.
• Provides information to help someone find the source.
• Annotated Bibliographies include a paragraph describing each article or book in the reference list.
• Usually uses either APA or MLA style.

How can you determine if you have a "good" information source? 
Assess the following:

AUTHORITY and ACCURACY

• Who publishes the website?  Is this a well-know or respected institution?
• Is there contact information for authors of the website content?  What is their background or credentials?
• Is it a commercial site (.com), a government site (.gov), an educational site (.edu), a non-profit or other organization (.org)? How does this affect the information presented?
• Do other reliable sites link to this one?
• Are facts, ideas or references credible and backed up by citations to the original sources?
• Check facts against other web sites. Are claims and facts verified on other reputable websites?

PURPOSE and OBJECTIVITY

• What is the purpose of this site: to sell, inform, entertain or persuade?
• Who sponsors this website?  What is their agenda or goal?
• For what audience is this site written?
• Is there advertising on the site? Does this influence information found on the site?
• Are arguments well-reasoned and supported?
• Use Wikipedia to look up the site. What do you learn about the site's funding, point of view, and reliability?

CURRENCY

• Is the information on the page up-to-date?
• Is the page updated regularly?
• Are there dead links?

Image from the NYPL Digital Gallery. No known restrictions on use.

Quick Guide - APA Citation Style

NoodleTools

Access online tutorials using the links below:

Citation Guide

Find much more on the Holman Library Citation guide: