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FYS 1010

First Year Seminar

Definitions

Citation

A reference to a source (such as an article or book) that provides information to help others find the same work; often follows specific formats based on type of source and citation style (usually APA, MLA, or Chicago) being used

Bibliography

A list of citations or references of sources used in research; in APA Style, this is titled "References"; in MLA Style, this is titled "Works Cited"

APA Style

APA (American Psychological Association) Style is a writing and citation style commonly used in the social sciences, business, and nursing

MLA Style

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style is a writing and citation style commonly used in the humanities, especially language and literature

Plagiarism

Using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person; in an academic context, this includes copying exact quotations without citing the source, paraphrasing or describing and idea you learned from a source without giving credit, and not providing complete or accurate information in citations

What does plagiarism look like...

...in an academic context?

  • Copying exact words/sentences from an article without citing the source
  • Paraphrasing or describing an idea you learned about from an article without giving credit
  • Not providing complete or accurate information in your citations

...in everyday life*?

  • Copying someone’s tweet (or other social media post) and reposting it as if you wrote it
  • Sharing a picture but deleting the caption or other information about where it came from (such as who took the photo, who is in the photo, etc.)

*These are often social norms/expectations that may or may not be enforced. Consequences may be legal or purely social (social rejection or being seen as rude, a liar, or clueless about a community’s culture).

What do citations look like...

...for class assignments (academic contexts)?

  • Information about your sources provided in a standardized format
  • Citation styles such as APA or MLA
  • In-text citations (APA and MLA)
  • Footnotes or endnotes (Chicago)
  • List of references (APA) or works cited (MLA)

...for everyday life?

  • Source: URL
  • Photo credit: @myfriendjohn
  • “Shoutout to my mom for taking this pic!”
  • via *hyperlink to original post*
  • Other options that allow people to trace back to the original
    • Stitch (TikTok), Retweet or Quote Tweet (Twitter), Repost (Instagram), Share (Facebook), Forward (email)

Research Management Tools

NoodleTools is an online tool that helps with:

  • Citing sources (including in-text citations and reference lists, works cited lists, and bibliographies) in APA Style, MLA Style, and Chicago Style
  • Taking notes
  • Organizing and outlining research

CSM provides FREE access to NoodleTools for students. To learn how to create your account, check out the NoodleTools library guide.

There are other citation tools available online. Many simply help you to generate citations without options for organizing research, or they may require a subscription fee. The following tools are free (or have free versions):