Citing sources means stating exactly from where information and ideas come. Anyone reading your work should be able to use your works-cited list to find the sources of your information. Remember that citing the sources of your information not only gives credit to the ideas of others, it also adds credibility to your research and writing. You are committing plagiarism when you use information that you have found in your research without giving credit to the source.

How to Cite Your Sources

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (now in its 6th edition) published by the Modern Language Association (2003) is often accepted as the standard for formating source citations. The MLA Handbook is available on the MLA website and may also be available at your school or public library. For an explanation of how to cite sources from the Web on a works-cited list, see the summary available on the MLA website:

http://www.mla.org/publications/style/style_faq/style_faq4

Additional Sources for Citation Formats

Concordia University Libraries web site provides a very good summary of the MLA citation formats for both print and non-print information sources at the following site:

http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/mla.html

This information is also available online at the Online Writing Lab (OWL) web site from Purdue University:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html

There are also free online "citation makers" which will allow you to insert the source information in a template and will automatically create the citations in the proper format for you. The correctly-formatted citations can then be copied and pasted into your works-cited list:

• Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS) Citation Maker - This citation maker provides templates for print, electronic, online, and miscellaneous other sources.
• NoodleBib MLA Starter (formerly "Quick Site") - This site is a subscription service "citation maker," but also offers a free version. Click on the link under "Free Tools."