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Citing Sources in APA Style: Home

Basic guidelines for documentation according to the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

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Why Cite Sources?

This information is taken from the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. More detail regarding the use of APA style can be found in the manual.

When to Cite

  • Cite the work of those individuals whose ideas, research, and writing have directly influenced your work.
  • Citation of an article implies that you have actually read the work you are citing.
  • It is essential that you credit the ideas of others and that you provide documentation for facts and figures that do not fall into the category of common knowledge.
  • Giving credit to the original author of thoughts, words, and ideas is essential when doing research.
  • While a Reference List or bibliography does not prevent plagiarism, it is an important tool in avoiding plagiarism.
  • Take careful notes as you conduct your research and keep track of your sources.
  • Cite sources in accordance with the guidelines specified by APA.

Is It Plagiarism?

Here are some sites discussing Plagiarism...

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