CITING SOURCES

You can help your argument a great deal by using information from a variety of sources. This shows that you know your topic. It also helps if the reader wants to know where to get more information on the topic.

Try to quote all relevant sources in your paper, and try to support all major points with a quotation. At the same time, do not make your paper consist entirely of quotations. Getting just the right balance of quotations and your own words is not easy. It takes practice, and this is one good reason for showing your first draft to your instructor.

You should always cite sources you use. If you get a fact or an idea from another author, you should say where you got it. For example, the following is from one of my papers:

In a review written upon publication of the dissertation the next year, one of the committee members praised the "abundance of facts analyzed, the extent of the learning (science), the sometimes specious rigor of the method" in Ribot's work--a backhanded compliment if ever there was one. [1] Another member of the committee was reported to have said that one could argue over the causes and consequences of psychological heredity, but Ribot's work had shown that it was a fact. [2]

NOTES

Elme Caro, review of L'hérédité psychologique, by Theodule Ribot, Journal des savants 90 (1874): 58.
Le Temps (Paris), 8 December 1873. The person reported to have said this was Charles de Rémusat.

I have used endnotes to cite in this example. This example shows two different cases in which you should cite. In the first note, I am indicating where I found a direct quotation. You must always cite direct quotations. The second note is an example of a fact that is not generally known. These should also be cited. You do not have to cite common facts (for instance, "the sky is blue"), but knowing when to cite is an art that requires the writer to know his or her audience and the conventions of the field. When in doubt, cite.

Another way to cite is to use parenthetical citation. With this method, you identify the author and page number in parentheses after the citation. To use the same example,

In a review written upon publication of the dissertation the next year, one of the committee members praised the "abundance of facts analyzed, the extent of the learning (science), the sometimes specious rigor of the method" in Ribot's work--a backhanded compliment if ever there was one (Caro, 1874, p. 58). Another member of the committee was reported to have said that one could argue over the causes and consequences of psychological heredity, but Ribot's work had shown that it was a fact (Le Temps).

At the end of your paper you would have a bibliography giving more information about the sources you use:

Bibliography

Caro, Elme. Review of L'heredite psychologique, by Theodule Ribot. Journal des savants (1874): 51-66.
"Psychology." Encyclopedia Britannica. 11th edition.
Ribot, Theodule. La psychologie anglaise contemporaine. Paris: Librairie Philosophique de Ladrange, 1870.
Ribot, Theodule "Philosophy in France." Mind (1877): 366-86.
Le Temps (Paris), 8 December 1873.

This reference list includes a book, a journal article, and an encyclopedia article. These are the main kinds of source you will be using. You should list all the sources you use in your paper. There are rules for how to cite each kind of source. Indeed, there are many different styles of citation. I do not care what style you use, but I do expect you to use one style consistently and correctly.

Most style books now include information on how to cite Internet sources. If your style book does not cover this, an excellent online source is Harnarck, Andrew and Eugene Kleppinger. Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources. 1998. 13 October 1998. <http://www.smpcollege.com/online-4styles~help/>.

This, incidentally, is also an example of how to cite a World Wide Web source in a paper.