It also opens up room for fact-checking and further research. Here are just a few reasons why it is important for you to cite sources in your work: Citations Provide Hard Evidence of Your Thesis/IdeasĬiting sources that back up your claim, otherwise known as your thesis statement, creates credibility for you as a researcher. Citing sources is something you should always do. It doesn’t matter if you use MLA formatting, APA formatting, or any other citation style. However, correctly citing sources in your research projects will ensure that you receive a better grade and create something that uniquely contributes to the subject area you are studying.

Having to write citations may seem like another boring step in the paper writing process.

Popular styles include MLA formatting, Chicago style, and APA style. Please see the citation manual for your chosen style for more specifics on how to make your citations in that style. The exact information included in the citation depends on the citation style you are using. This information could be the author’s name, the publication date, or page numbers. It also describes those sources, and provides information that allows the reader to track them down. A citation is how you let your readers know that you used information from outside sources in your work. To begin, let’s examine what a citation actually is.

Here’s a table of contents for this guide: But what exactly are citations? Why are they so important, and what are the different types? Read on for citation basics. You’ve probably heard your teacher or professor talk about the importance of including citations in your research papers.

How to insert a citation in a paper