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Citations: Guide

Why are citations important?

Citations describe sources in a standard format or style. They include information such as title of the work; author; publication date; publisher and location; and, other details such as volume, issue, and page numbers.

Citation are important because they: 

  • indicate that you have done proper scholarly research;
  • show that you have given credit to other researchers' work and ideas; and, 
  • give others the opportunity to assess the credibility of your argument by providing them with the information they need to find and review the sources on which it is based.

Citations help you avoid plagiarism which is a violation of College of Coastal Georgia's Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures.

Credit: Citations: A (Very) Brief Introduction by N.C. State University Libraries on YouTube

What should be cited?

Cite all ideas, statistics, images, charts, graphics, audio/video materials, and quotes that are not your own. You do not have to cite common knowledge* or your own ideas or your conclusions (that should be based on cited information).

*So what is common knowledge? This is generally information that is both noncontroversial and accepted by the average reader as true. So this can get tricky. How do we know what the average reader accepts as true?

The following links offer more discussion about understanding what is and what isn't common knowledge:

 

Style Guides

Citation Tip

There are several online tools and citation generators to help you write and manage your citations. You may find some tools within GALILO databases. Consider these guides. When in doubt, consult the official style guide or ask your professor or a librarian for help. 

The Writing Center

The Writing Center provides one-on-one in-depth writing coaching for students, faculty, and staff at the College of Coastal Georgia.

During coaching sessions, Writing Center staff work on developing writing skills by teaching writers about patterns of errors, expectations in writing styles, and what it means to be a writer at the college level.

The Writing Center is in Room 117 in Gould Memorial Library on the Brunswick campus.
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