Citing Your Sources: Getting Started

Whether you're working on your first research paper or you're an experienced student with an unusual source to cite, citing your sources can be challenging. Never fear! This guide refers you to websites and print books that will help you figure out how to cite your sources in several different styles.

• Citations help provide evidence and support for the claims being made.

• Citations provide credit to the original authors and contributors to the topic.

• Citations allow for further investigation and research on the topic.

• Citations establish credibility and demonstrate familiarity with the relevant conversations.

• Citations are a participation in the scholarly, disciplinary, and professional community.

From Why We Cite (UNC), Why Do We Cite Sources (Houston), Why Do We Cite (CSUDH), Reasons for Citing Sources (PCC)

The University Libraries does not offer support for these online reference managers.  They are listed as a convenience for our student, faculty, and staff.  Many of the University Libraries' article databases will export bibliographic records to reference management software.

Need help with more than just your citations?  Set up an appointment with one a Writing Coach at the University Writing Center to get support and great advice about your paper.

Call or visit them to set up an appointment.

University Writing Center

122 Student Success Center

(937) 775-5770

Hours:
Mon & Thu 9a - 6p

Tue & Wed 9a - 8p
Fri 9a - 4p

Summer hours:
Mon - Thu 9a - 4p 

Browse All Research Guides

Or use these related research guides:

There are a number of style guides that offer recommendations for citing generative AI text. Some of the most common include:

• The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 10th edition
• The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition
• The APA Style Guide, 7th edition

These style guides offer slightly different approaches to citing generative AI text. However, they all share some common elements, such as:

• Identifying the generative AI tool that you used
• Provide the date that you used the tool
• Including a link to the tool's website
• If you quoted or paraphrased content from the tool, including a citation for the original source

It is important to note that these are just recommendations. The specific style guide that you use will depend on the requirements of your instructor or publisher.

Here are some additional tips for citing generative AI text:

• Be sure to cite the generative AI tool as a source, even if you did not quote or paraphrase any content from it.
• If you are using a tool that allows you to save your work, be sure to include the date that you saved the work in your citation.
• If you are using a tool that allows you to share your work, be sure to include a link to the shared version in your citation.
• If you are using a tool that allows you to edit or modify content, be sure to note that in your citation.

By following these tips, you can ensure that you are properly citing generative AI text in your research papers (Bard, 2023).

Reference

Google. (2023). Bard (April 17 version) [Large language model].  https://bard.google.com/