According to the Harvard Guide to Scholarly Publishing, “Citations are an essential part of any scholarly article, and they can help readers find the source of your information.” A cite is a reference to a source that has been used in the writing of your article.
A journal article, for example, would typically list all of the sources used in its research.
While it is not always necessary to list every source used in an article, it is important to include at least one citation per paragraph and at least one citation for each significant statement or fact reported in your work. Including citations also helps readers verify the accuracy of your information.
Additionally, if you make use of other sources not referenced in your paper, you should also provide a citation for these sources.
When citing sources in an academic paper, it is customary to use the following format: first name last name title of source. For example, “John Doe author of Article Title.” However, there are a few exceptions to this format. If you are quoting another author’s words directly, you would use their full name and title followed by “quoted text.
” For example: “John Doe quoted from Author Name.” If you are citing a quote from a non-academic source (such as a news article), you would simply cite the name of the publication and the date of the article without any other information. For example: “Fox News article on Topic dated January 1st.”.
While it is important to include proper citations when reporting on academic research, it is also important to remember that not all citations need to be included in an academic paper. In many cases, including all citations can be quite cumbersome and lead to formatting issues on pages where they are not necessary.
If you need help determining if citations are necessary for your work, consult with your instructor or writing journal editors.