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HPSH Citation Help: Home

A guide to help you know when and how to cite your sources in a research project.

What is a Citation?

A citation is the specific information about a source that you used for research and often includes a title, author, or website name. There are different citation formats (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.), so check your assignment description or ask your teacher which one to use. A citation has several purposes:

  • Show that you've done your research
  • Provide support for your arguments
  • Give credit to the author or source in order to avoid plagiarism (which is like stealing)

       UC Sandiego, http://libraries.ucsd.edu/

Thank you to Edina High School for sharing their guide with us!

What is Plagiarism and how to avoid it

Plagiarism Defined

A type of academic misconduct in which you try to pass off someone else’s ideas or words as your own. It is a form of intellectual theft.

You can avoid plagiarism:

  • When you are taking notes, make sure that you copy all original passages in quotation marks.
  • Paraphrase by really putting ideas into your own words; go beyond changing a few words. Recognize that paraphrasing of unique ideas and facts also requires citation.
  • As you write, return to the text and check your paraphrase against the original source to make sure you haven’t unintentionally copied.
  • Use graphic organizers to restructure your facts and ideas.
  • Use your own voice to put a new twist on old information.
  • When in doubt, cite!


What is "common knowledge?"

  • You don’t have to cite everything. Facts or ideas referred to as “common knowledge” do not have to be cited.
  • Common knowledge includes facts that are found in many sources, facts that you assume many people know. A rule of thumb is that if you find a fact in three or more sources, it may be considered common knowledge.
  • An example of common knowledge is that John Adams married Abigail Smith.

FREE Citation Generators

Citation Styles

Citation styles are rules people use in research to communicate where you found your resources. Different subject areas have different styles.  Click on one of the options below to see more information about each style.

APA (American Psychological Association)

APA is commonly used for Education, Psychology and the Sciences subject areas. It uses in-text citations and a References page.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

MLA is commonly used for English, Languages, Literary Criticism and Cultural Studies subject areas. It uses in-text citations and a Works Cited page.

Chicago Manual of Style

CMS is commonly used for History and the Arts. It uses footnotes and a Bibliography page.

When to Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote

You can borrow from the works of other writers as you research. Good writers use three strategies—summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting—to blend source materials in with their own, while making sure their own voice is heard.

Quotations are the exact words of an author, copied directly from the source word for word. Quotations must be cited!

Use quotations when:

  • You want to add the power of an author’s words to support your argument
  • You want to disagree with an author’s argument
  • You want to highlight particularly eloquent or powerful phrases or passages
  • You are comparing and contrasting specific points of view
  • You want to note the important research that precedes your own
Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting his/her thoughts in your own words. A paraphrase can be viewed as a “translation” of the original source. When you paraphrase, you rework the source’s ideas, words, phrases, and sentence structures with your own. Paraphrased text is often, but not always, slightly shorter than the original work. Like quotations, paraphrased material must be followed with in-text documentation and cited on the Works-Cited page.

Paraphrase when:

  • You plan to use information on your note cards and wish to avoid plagiarizing
  • You want to avoid overusing quotations
  • You want to use your own voice to present information
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) of one or several writers into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summarized ideas are not necessarily presented in the same order as in the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.

Summarize when:

  • You want to establish background or offer an overview of a topic
  • You want to describe common knowledge (from several sources) about a topic
  • You want to determine the main ideas of a single source

IB Info on Citations