Citation Guide

Why am I required to cite sources?

There are several reasons:

• Citing sources shows the journey of your work. It shows the person reading your paper where you learned the the things you've learned that you're incorporating in your paper.
• Citing sources gives credit to the people who wrote/created your sources.
• Citing sources shows what is your work and what is someone else's work. 
• Citing sources is an essential tool to avoid plagiarism, or passing off someone else's work as your own (whether on purpose or not). 

How can I learn more?

Watch the following video tutorial for an introduction to using outside sources in your writing. Navigate between sections with the four-line menu in the upper right corner. This tutorial is part of ProQuest Research Companion. 

Note: This is one part of the longer ProQuest Research Companion course. To learn about the full information literacy tutorial, go to the next box. 

MLA Style is one of several citation styles. At Caldwell, it is used in many departments.

The MLA Handbook Plus is an online platform you have access to through Jennings Library. The whole handbook is there, as well as other ways to learn about MLA Style, like video tutorials!

Choose one of the activities below to learn more about using MLA Style.

Quoting & Paraphrasing

Creating & Understanding the Works Cited List

Using & Understanding In-Text Citations

APA Style is the American Psychological Association's citation format. It's used in psychology and other social science disciplines. 

Choose one of the activities below to learn more about using APA Style.

Overview of In-Text Citations & the References List

APA Quick Guides: In-text citations, quoting & paraphrasing, and more

Academic Writer is platform for learning about and using APA Format. These are some text-based tutorials about citation topics. 

Formatting Your Paper

This webinar goes through all of the elements of a student research paper and how to format them in APA Style. This includes the title page, section headings, and the references list.

This panel shows four citation tools, organized from simplest to most complex:

• Citation tools that are built into Google Docs.
• ZoteroBib - a simple online citation builder.
• NoodleTools - a platform that you can use to organize and format citations in APA or MLA Style.
• Academic Writer - the APA's full learning and writing platform for APA Style.

Choose one to learn about that meets your needs. For example, if you're a psychology student, check out Academic Writer!

Google Docs

Google Docs has a built-in citation tool, that can help you create in-text and full citations. Learn how to use the Google Docs citation tool in this 1-minute video!

Zotero

Zotero is an open source citation manager that has a simple web version - ZoteroBib - and a full-service app.

• If you're a graduate student or are starting an honors project, check out the Tech Tools for Research page to learn about the advanced functionality of the app.
• If you're just looking for an easy way to create citations, look no farther than the ZoteroBib video below!

NoodleTools

NoodleTools helps you build citations with templates and organize your citations by project. You can also make annotations and export an annotated bibliography or use the notecards feature to organize your thoughts and plan your paper.

Video How-to Series:

Written Instructions:

Academic Writer

Academic Writer is a place to learn about APA Style and to manage citations and even write papers. It is used in many psychology classes. Use this tutorial to learn about the features of Academic Writer.