1.
To give credit to those whose work you have used
(whether by direct quote or by paraphrasing).
-
Academic ethics require that writers be credited for
their work and their writing. If you intentionally or
unintentionally use the work of another without giving
proper credit, you have plagiarized.
-
Researchers
"stand on the shoulders" of those who have gone before
2.
To provide evidence to support what you are saying.
-
A good bibliography of high-quality material demonstrates
that your project is based on credible evidence.
-
When
well-integrated into your paper (or project
or research), that evidence
creates a strong and convincing paper or project.
It demonstrates
that you know and understand
the field in which you are working and have evidence to
support your
claims/arguments/explanations.
-
If your
work is based on poor evidence, the credibility of your
project is undermined.
3.
To allow your readers to find and read your sources.
-
Professionals trace back to the original sources to
expand their own understanding and to use those sources in
their own research.
-
A reference list that does not
provide the information needed to find the sources is
worthless to the reader.
1.
Using a consistent style in a bibliography (or
reference list) lets the reader know where in the citation
to expect to find a title, where to expect to find an
author, etc -- without actually labeling the parts of the
citation. It makes it easier for your readers to understand
your citations and find the sources you have cited.
2. Although a
variety of citation styles exist,
each academic discipline
will usually use a specific style. By using a single style
such as APA or IEEE, a
profession's readers are familiar with the style and
understand how to read and interpret it.
What do I
need to know?
1. How to
cite sources within the body of the paper
-- in-text citation
2. How to
create a list of sources cited in your paper
-- the
bibliography or reference list.
3.
How to use a specific citation style
Links to
various citation style examples are available. See "Guide
to Citing Sources":
http://www.departments.dsu.edu/library/citestyl.htm
