Why Do I Have to Cite?
- To Build Upon the Research of Others
When you cite the sources you use in your research, you demonstrate to your audience that your arguments and conclusions are not based solely upon your own opinion or biases, but are supported by the findings of other researchers.
- To Give Credit When Its Due
Citing information allows you to demonstrate exactly what information you took from another researcher and also to show what information is original to your work.
- To Allow for Further Research
When you cite others' research in your work, you are giving your audience the sources they need to seek out additional information related to your topic. For example, a reader may see that you have cited a particular book of interest and then read that book for further information on the topic.
- To Avoid Plagiarism!
Plagiarism is a serious offense at Surry Community College and is subject to disciplinary action. Plagiarism results from not giving credit to the sources of information you use in your research. See the Plagiarism & Copyright page for more information.
What Do I Have to Cite?
- Direct Quotes
When you quote directly from a source, you must cite the source where you obtained the quote.
- Paraphrasing
When you rephrase, reword, or summarize information from a source, you must cite the source where you found the information.
- Arguments and Terminology
When you make use of another person's argument, idea, or specific terminology, you must cite the source where you found the information.
- Graphs, Charts, Photographs, Drawings, etc.
When you use or glean information from another person's graph, chart, photograph, drawing, or other representation of information you must cite the source where you obtained the information.
The information on this page was adapted from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Citing Information Tutorial, available at http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/introduction.
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