To learn how to effectively cite sources for your essays, presentations and other projects:
explore the tabs on this guide
watch video segments on this page
Purpose of Citations
Citations are a way of giving credit to others for their ideas and work. In school, in jobs and in our personal lives, when we write an essay, give a presentation, make a speech, or record a video, we are often stepping into ongoing conversations and previous research around a topic. In the scholarly tradition of the United States, citations demonstrate that we have done our research and they give credit to those whose ideas and words we are building on.
When you synthesize sources into your own work, you are stepping into the conversation between previous scholars/stakeholders and then weaving that together with your own unique insight and analysis.