What are citations?

Written by Emily Smith

Do you dread creating citations? Feel a little panicky about formatting a bibliography? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! The prospect of citing one’s sources can send a shiver down the spines of many academic writers. Although we often talk about citations as a means to an end—to avoid committing plagiarism—this line of thinking can overshadow citations’ broader purpose, logic, and (believe it or not) benefits. 

Creating citations can feel a little intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be scary! In this guide, we’ll be talking broadly about citations within academic writing: what they are, what needs to be cited, and what basic rules govern their usage. Whether you’re brand new to the concept of citations or just need a refresher, this guide will help you get up to speed! 

What is a citation? 

To put it simply, a citation is a way for writers to tell readers where an idea came from. Essentially, a citation communicates that a piece of information originated from another work, such as a book, journal article, website, or film. 

Citations are comprised of two parts: an in-text citation that appears within a piece of writing and a bibliographic entry that appears at the end of a text. An in-text citation will very briefly document a source, often including a source’s author and page number, if applicable. That in-text citation will correspond with a bibliographic entry for the same work, which provides its author, title, and publication information, making it possible for a reader to track down that source for more information. 

Why do we cite sources? 

Although citations can be a source of anxiety for academic writers, they offer several benefits for you, the writer, as well as for your readers and fellow scholars. 

• For writers, one central benefit of citations is that they allow you to write with integrity by acknowledging others’ work, thereby avoiding issues related to academic dishonesty and plagiarism, which is the act of representing someone else’s ideas as your own (and is a violation that colleges take very seriously, including academic punishments that can range up to expulsion). However, citations can also help you improve the quality of your ideas and writing. Academic writing is often described as a conversation or dialogue, in that scholars respond to, refute, and build upon others’ work to advance knowledge and make new discoveries. Citations make it possible for you to clearly reference another person’s work, which makes it easier for you to contextualize and support your ideas. Citing others also helps you build credibility by showing the scope and quality of your research and demonstrating support for your ideas.

• For readers, citations are helpful because they make it easy to differentiate between ideas. Citations also provide readers with the information they need to learn more about a topic. 

• For scholars whose materials you are citing, citations are essentially a form of acknowledgement that recognizes their ideas, research, and hard work. 

So, citations aren’t just a defensive maneuver to avoid plagiarism; they are a helpful tool you can use to support your ideas, facilitate your readers’ learning, and acknowledge the contributions of other authors! 

What needs to be cited?

To put it simply, you cite ideas that are not yours. Of course, it can be a little more complicated than that, so here is a more thorough breakdown of situations in which a citation is necessary. You should cite when:

• Directly quoting a source 

• Paraphrasing or summarizing a source 

• Referencing another person’s ideas or opinions 

• Another person’s ideas have influenced your writing or research 

• Using information that is not common knowledge within your field or discipline. For more information on how to figure out if something is common knowledge check out our guide on avoiding plagiarism. 

Although there are pretty firm rules about what and when you should cite, ambiguous situations can arise. My advice? First, ask for help! See “How can I learn to cite sources correctly?” below for citation guidance and resources. However, if help is unavailable and you’re feeling doubtful about whether or not you need to cite a source, plan to include the citation. It is much better to provide an unnecessary citation than to exclude a citation and accidentally commit plagiarism. 

What is a citation style? Why are there so many?!

If you’ve ever looked for citation guidance online, you might have been inundated with the alphabet soup that is citation styles: APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian! So. Many. Options. 

You might be wondering what a citation style is and why they even exist. A citation style is essentially a set of rules and conventions that dictate the content, format, and placement of citations. Following a particular system ensures that your use of citations is consistent, logical, and clear, creating a shared, understandable language between you and your reader.

So why isn’t there one standardized citation style that everyone can use? Well, many citation systems originated from specific academic communities or professional organizations, which reflect their values, expectations, and style. So, we have different citation styles to fulfill the needs of different audiences. For example, in APA style, which is commonly used in the social sciences where the recency of research is important, a source’s publication date is included in an in-text citation, while MLA style, which is mostly commonly used in the humanities, does not require that a publication date be included in an in-text citation. Because an audience’s needs and preferences can change, you’ll also find that citation systems and style guides are updated from time to time.

Always utilize the most recent edition of a citation system, unless instructed otherwise by a professor. 

Although the number of citation systems can be overwhelming, many citation styles are  primarily used in professional settings where a piece of writing is being published. If you are a student, you’re most likely to encounter one of the following three styles: 

• MLA (Modern Language Association), which is most commonly used in the humanities. You’ll likely utilize MLA style in any English or composition classes you take. 

• APA (American Psychological Association), which is often used in the social sciences. You might encounter APA style in a sociology, psychology, or education class, among others. 

• Chicago Style/Turabian, which may make an appearance in your history or fine arts classes. These styles are virtually the same, though Chicago Style is often geared more towards a professional writer, while Turabian was designed with a student writer in mind. Both styles are unique in that they each house two different citation systems, Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography, from which writers can choose based on their needs.

There are also other, more niche citation styles for specific subjects and fields, such as CSE (Council of Science Editors), which is often used in, you guessed it, the sciences, and ASA (American Sociological Association), which sociologists use. For more guidance on citation styles, check out this guide from the University of Washington, which identifies the most common citation style for each discipline. 

What citation style should I use?

If you are just beginning to learn how to use citations, MLA style is often a great starting point, as you’ll likely be required to use it in your first-year writing class. When writing outside of an English or composition class, your instructors may require that you use a different citation style, so defer to their instructions. 

If you are allowed to choose which citation style you use, you might select the system most commonly used in your prospective major or area of study. For example, if you’re planning to major in history, you might use Chicago or Turabian style so that you can begin familiarizing yourself with its rules and conventions. 

How can I learn to use citations correctly? 

So far, we’ve identified a few basic principles that apply to citations across the board:

1. Citations are a tool that help writers clearly and efficiently reference the work of others. 

2. Citations benefit writers themselves as well as their readers and fellow scholars. They help writers build credibility and support their ideas by acknowledging the contributions of other authors, while making it easy for readers to track down more information on a topic that interests them. 

3. As a general rule of thumb, we cite ideas that don’t belong to us, such as direct quotations, paraphrased or summarized content, and material that isn’t considered common knowledge. 

4. Citation styles exist to fulfill the needs of different audiences and groups. 

However, the commonalities pretty much end there, as each citation style has its own formatting rules. To begin learning the ins and outs of citations in a given style: 

• Invest in a copy of your discipline’s style guide, such as the MLA Handbook, APA Style Guide, or The Chicago Manual of Style, which can provide guidance about citation content and formatting, as well as helpful information about writing conventions in a given field. 

• Utilize an online resource, such as the Purdue OWL, which provides numerous sample citations to help you figure out how to cite what.

• Visit a research librarian at your college or university. Many university librarians provide bibliographic instruction services for students to help you learn citation conventions and track down reputable sources. 

• Read “How to Avoid Plagiarism” for actionable advice for using sources ethically or “Writing from Sources” to learn more about the mechanics of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing content. 

Now, go forth and cite without fear! You’ve got this!

Special thanks to Emily Smith for writing this post and contributing to other College Writing Center resources