What is a Citation?
A citation is a reference to a source.
Why Do You Cite?
To maintain academic standards
To give credit to original authors
To avoid plagiarism.
To provide evidence for research
When To Cite
When Paraphrasing
When Summarizing.
When using Direct Quotations.
When in doubt, always cite.
When Do you Not Cite?
When it is your own opinion
When the information is common knowledge (information that is very well known to most people)
Research papers require documentation styles with specific standards and rules for formatting in-text citations and references. The main styles are APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), and Chicago Style (University of Chicago Press). These guides are available at the library.
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. Your instructor will advise you on the appropriate citation format for your assignment.
Additional Resources:
MLA Style Center - Authorized Web site devoted to MLA style
MLA Formatting and Style Guide (Purdue Owl)
MLA 9th Edition Citation Pamphlet (UCNJ Libraries)
For further details on the various citation styles and guides, see the LibGuide below:
Citation and Style Guides: Style Guides, Help Sheets, Formatting Papers
Citation generators help you format your citations for In-Text Citations and References.
The UCNJ Libraries presently offers Noodle Tools to help you build and manage your citations. NoodleTools guides you through the process of creating citations. You can create citations for any type of source and can also generate in-text citations. Sign up for your personal account (no cost to you), and start building correct citations according to current guidelines for APA, Chicago, and MLA styles.
NoodleTools (Register for your free account with your UCNJ credentials)
NoodleTools Express (create a single citation).
Noodle Tools Help Desk answers frequently asked questions or more specific questions.
Noodle Tools Companion is a free app available for Apple and Android devices.
NoodleTools Creating a Citation (Video Tutorial)
Be sure to acknowledge information and ideas taken from others. Failure to cite the sources used in a research paper is considered plagiarism.
