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Citation Help

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Print Resources

The Oberlin College Libraries have copies of the most common citation manuals and style guides in print.

Online Resources

Citation Management Tools

Citation management tools help researchers gather, manage, store and share information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies in a wide variety of styles.

The Library supports two citation management systems:  RefWorks and Zotero.

For help using these tools ask a librarian.

About RefWorks

RefWorks users create web-based personal accounts; all data can be accessed online from anywhere. Although RefWorks is a service licensed by the Library, student accounts remain active after graduation.

About Zotero

Zotero is a free, open-source program that users download to their personal computers; all data is stored on the local drive (syncing among multiple computers is possible).

Learn more about RefWorks and Zotero.


Why Cite Your Sources

  • let your reader know where you’ve been/show your history with a topic
  • acknowledge intellectual property of others

Using the Work of Others
There are three ways to incorporate the work of others into your writing:

  • quoting– using their words exactly
  • paraphrasing - using your OWN words to reiterate ideas  - not just rephrasing
  • summarizing – recapping big ideas, comparing approaches

What to Cite

  • words or phrases
  • ideas or concepts
  • images, illustrations, graphs, etc.

What Not to Cite

  • common knowledge
    • what anyone in your audience can be expected to know
    • undisputed information
  • personal experiences
  • when in doubt, cite!

How to Cite
There are three major documentation forms:

  • parenthetical references/in-line citations
  • footnotes
  • endnotes

And thousands of styles:

  • APA  (American Psychological Association)
  • MLA  (Modern Language Association)
  • Chicago
  • Turabian

Consult your professor about the style preferred for each course/assignment

 

Last updated:
September 14, 2012