Statistics: Why Cite?

When you write a research paper, you use information and facts from a variety of resources to support your own ideas or to help you develop new ones. Books, articles, caselaw, videos, interviews, and Web sites are some examples of sources you might use. Citing these sources of information in your work is essential because:

* It gives credit to the author of the original work who provided you with the information or idea

* It allows your audience to identify and find the source material in order to learn more about your topic

* It gives your paper more credibility because it shows you're supporting your arguments with high-quality sources

It's important to make sure you collect all the information you need to cite a source as you gather your information so that you won’t need to look it up again, so:

* Take clear, accurate notes about where you found specific ideas

* Write down the complete citation information for each book, article, etc. you use as you go along

* Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words

* Always credit original authors for their information and ideas

Citing Sources Using MLA, APA and HARVARD styles