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Citing & Evaluating Sources

This guide will assist students in citing and evaluating sources in a selection of different citation styles.

Parts of a Citation

Depending on the style, a citation will include title, author, date, page numbers, publisher, place of publication, etc.

An image of two citations are included with arrows labeling each part of the citation. The first citation says "Mari, Christopher. Global Epidemics. NY: H.W Wilson, Co. 2007" There is the label "author" under "Mari, Christopher" ,a "title" label under "Global Epidemics" which is in itallics, a "place of publication" label under "NY" ,a "publication label under "H.W Wilson, Co" ,and a "date" label under "2007". Then there is another example citation that states "Griffiths PD. (2009). A swine of a pandemic. (begin itallics) Reviews in Medical Virology (end itallics), 19, 253-256. Below there are labels with the label "author" connecting to "Griffiths PD." ,the label "date" connected to "2009" ,the label "title of article" connected to "a swine of a pandemic" ,the label "title of journal" connected to "Reviews in Medical Virology", the label "volume" connected to 19, and the label "page numbers" connected to "253-256"

Used with permission from UAB Lister Hill Library - Go to their LibGuide for more information.

Why Do We Cite?

Citations reflect the careful and thorough work you have put into locating and exploring your sources.
Citations help readers understand the context of your argument and are a courtesy to the reader, who may share your interest in a particular area of study.
Citations allow you to acknowledge those authors who contributed to your learning and your work.
Citations, by illustrating your own learning process, also draw attention to the originality and legitimacy of your own ideas.
By citing sources you demonstrate your integrity and skill as a responsible student and participant in your field of study.

 

"When and Why to Cite Sources." University at Albany. N.p., 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. <http://library.albany.edu/usered/cite/citing.html>.

Citation Styles