TSU Research Guides: Mastering Citations: Your Complete Reference Companion: Home

Citations Overview

Citations are references to other works within your own academic work, and they provide detailed information about sources you have consulted or used. Citations typically include key details such as the author's name, title of work, publication date, and where it can be found (e.g., journal name, publisher). Citations serve two primary purposes: they give credit to the original creators of ideas or information, acknowledging their intellectual contribution, and they enable readers to locate and verify the sources you have referenced. Practicing accurate citation ensures academic integrity by demonstrating your engagement with existing research while supporting transparency and credibility in scholarly communication.

Importance of Citing

Academic Integrity: Citing sources is crucial for maintaining academic honesty and avoiding plagiarism. It shows that you respect other people's intellectual property and gives credit where it's due.
Credibility: Proper citations enhance credibility of your work by providing evidence for your arguments and showing that you've engaged with existing research.
Scholarship: Citations contribute to the scholarly conversation by linking your work to the broader academic community. They help others follow your research trail and build upon your work.

Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, websites, etc.) with brief descriptions and evaluations of each source. This tool helps you summarize the main arguments, assess the source's value, and reflect on its relevance to your research.

Download our Annotated Bibliography Handout for detailed guidelines on creating effective annotations, examples in different citation styles, and tips for organizing your bibliography.

Annotated Bibliography
This handout provides guidelines on how to summarize, evaluate, and reflect on research sources.

What & When to Cite

What to Cite
- Direct Quotes: Any time you use the exact words from a source.
- Paraphrases: When you rephrase someone else's ideas in your own words.
- Summaries: Condensed versions of someone else's ideas.
- Data & Statistics: Whenever you use specific data, figures, or statistics from a source.
- Ideas & Theories: And idea or theory that is not your own, even if you put it into your own words.
- Multimedia: Any media that you did not create yourself.
When to Cite
- When presenting a fact that is not common knowledge.
- When using someone else's work as a foundation for your own.
- When quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing someone else's work.
- When using data, statistics, or other information from a source.
- When including an idea, opinion, or theory from another author.

Tip: Citation Chaining

Use citation chaining to discover related research by exploring an article's references and identifying works that have cited it.

Steps

Identify a Key Article
- Start with a central or influential article in your research area.
Backward Citation Chaining
- Examine References:
  - Review the key article's reference list to find earlier works it cites.
  - Access these references to understand the research background.
Forward Citation Chaining
- Find Citing Articles:
  - Use databases like Google Scholar, Web of Science, or Scopus.
    - Search for your key article and click on the "Cited by" link to see who has cited it since publication.
  - Explore these citing articles to find recent related research.

Citation Types

In-Text Citations: Brief citations within the text of your paper that direct readers to the full reference entry.
Footnotes & Endnotes: Notes at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes) that provide additional information or citations.
Reference List / Works Cited / Bibliography: A comprehensive list of all sources you cited in your paper, formatted according to a specific citation style.

Jessica Pate