How to...: Cite Your Sources

We all know plagiarism is bad, but what does it really mean? Plagiarism occurs when you:

• copy ideas, language, and speculation of others without acknowledgment,
• present others' ideas as original work, or
• disguise the language of another person by altering and submitting it as your own work.

Learn more and practice your skills with the tutorial below or on our Plagiarism guide.

Now that we understand plagiarism, we need to learn how to cite our sources properly. Citations include:

• title of text or production;
• publisher, journal, website, or producer; and
• date of publication.

If your source is missing any of this relevant information, ask yourself whether you found the best source. You can find more about citation and resources for specific citation styles at our Citing Your Sources guide.