UNI 110: Critical Thinking and Inquiry
- Home
- Find Background Information
- Use Search Strategies
- Find Articles and Information in Library Research Databases
- Evaluate What You Find
- Cite Your Sources
- Research and Database Tutorials
Need Help?
If you need help with exploring your topic ideas, revising your research paper, organizing ideas, or reviewing citations, visit the Academic Support Network Writing Centers! If you need assistance with finding or accessing resources, visit Ask a Librarian!
Cite Your Sources
Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves several purposes:
- It credits authors for their work and ideas that you used to write your paper
- It demonstrates academic integrity by providing context and proving your paper is well-researched
- It allows your readers to find your sources and learn more about your topic
- It enables others to further your research and make new discoveries
You should always cite other people's words and ideas that you use in your papers. These sources include but aren't limited to books, journal articles, webpages, reports, data, statistics, speeches, lectures, personal interviews, and more. Cite whenever you use a direct quote, summarize or paraphrase ideas, or use uncommon facts or statistics that relate directly to your argument. When other authors cite their sources properly, you can also use their research to enhance your own!
To learn more about citing sources in various citation styles and review examples of citing different source types, visit ASU Library's Citation Guide.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic integrity and plagiarism are concerns of the utmost importance at ASU. This page from the Office of the University Provost has a lot of valuable information about academic integrity.
Academic integrity (or academic honesty) is the foundation of academic life. It helps determine how you should behave in an academic environment when you do research, write a paper, or create a project. The fundamental five values of academic integrity are honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility. You can learn more about academic integrity by completing ASU Library's Academic Integrity tutorial.
Plagiarism is one aspect of academic dishonesty. It is the act of using, stealing, or representing someone else's ideas, words, or products as your own without crediting the author or originator. When using or quoting another person's works word-for-word, you must use a citation to acknowledge your use. Summarizing or paraphrasing the words or ideas of another without giving that person credit is also considered plagiarism. Learn more about plagiarism and discover strategies for avoiding it by completing ASU Library's Plagiarism Awareness tutorial.