Why Cite Sources?
Citing sources refers to acknowledging someone else's materials or ideas in your own research. Failure to provide citations to the source material is unethical and violates the San Francisco State University Standards for Student Conduct.
The following websites discuss plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, and suggest ways to avoid it when writing.
- Avoiding PlagiarismFrom Purdue University Writing Lab
- Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own WordsFrom Purdue University Online Writing Lab
- Preventing Plagiarism: Keeping It RealU.C San Diego
SFSU Library Guide For Citing References
The Library guide to Citing References includes sample citations for citing print and electronic information in several style formats, including APA, Chicago, MLA, and Turabian. When writing a paper, ask your professor which style guide he or she prefers.
Citation Manuals & Style Guides
The latest editions of the following style manuals are located in the Reference Collection, 3rd Floor.
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by
For close to sixty years Kate L. Turabian's Manual for Writers has offered comprehensive and detailed guidance to authors of research papers—term papers, theses, and dissertations. Now the editors of The Chicago Manual of Style have revised Turabian's Manual to bring the details of style into conformity with the fourteenth edition of The Chicago Manual. This new edition of Turabian also reflects the way students work today, taking into account the role of personal computers in the preparation and presentation of their papers. The familiar organization of this popular book remains largely unchanged. Chapter 1 describes the parts of a long formal paper. Chapters 2-5 introduce the mechanics of writing style, from abbreviations to quotations. Chapters 6 and 7 show how to prepare and refer to tables and illustrations. The section on documentation, chapters 8-12, describes two of the most commonly used systems of citation; these chapters provide many examples including guidance on how to cite electronic documents. Chapter 13, on manuscript preparation, shows how to take advantage of word processing software to present the elements of a paper clearly and effectively. Chapter 14 offers more than two dozen sample pages illustrating ways of formatting some of the complex features found in many research papers. Authoritative, comprehensive, easy to use, and filled with good sense, this new edition will be the standard for yet another generation of students and their teachers. Kate Turabian (1893-1987) was dissertation secretary at the University of Chicago from 1930 to 1958. This manual and her Student's Guide for Writing College Papers made her name so well known that she has become "part of the folklore of American higher education" (Quill and Scroll).
ISBN: 0226816273Publication Date: 1996-04-01
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by
Widely adopted by universities, colleges, and secondary schools, the MLA Handbook is the guide millions of writers have relied on for over half a century. The seventh edition, taken out of print by the MLA in spring 2016 upon publication of the eighth edition, provides the MLA's previous recommendations on documentation style for use in student writing. Please note that copies of the seventh edition of the MLA Handbook include a code for accessing an accompanying Web site. The Web site is no longer available.
ISBN: 9781603290241Publication Date: 2009-01-01
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing by
Reorganized and revised, the third edition of the MLA Style Manual offers complete, up-to-date guidance on writing scholarly texts, documenting research sources, submitting manuscripts to publishers, and dealing with legal issues surrounding publication.
ISBN: 9780873522977Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by
In addition to providing guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, this manual offers an authoritative reference and citation system. It also covers the treatment of numbers, statistical and mathematical data, tables and figures.
ISBN: 9781433805615Publication Date: 2009-07-15
The Chicago Manual of Style by
The Sixteenth Edition is available in book form and as a subscription website. The same content from The Chicago Manual of Style is in both versions. While digital technologies have revolutionized the publishing world in the twenty-first century, one thing still remains true: The Chicago Manual of Style is the authoritative, trusted source that writers, editors, and publishers turn to for guidance on style and process. For the sixteenth edition, every aspect of coverage has been reconsidered to reflect how publishing professionals work today. Though processes may change, the Manual continues to offer the clear, well-considered style and usage advice it has for more than a century. The sixteenth edition offers expanded information on producing electronic publications, including web-based content and e-books. An updated appendix on production and digital technology demystifies the process of electronic workflow and offers a primer on the use of XML markup, and a revised glossary includes a host of terms associated with electronic as well as print publishing. The Chicago system of documentation has been streamlined and adapted for a variety of online and digital sources. Figures and tables are updated throughout the book—including a return to the Manual’s popular hyphenation table and new, comprehensive listings of Unicode numbers for special characters. With the wisdom of a hundred years of editorial practice and a wealth of industry expertise from both Chicago’s staff and an advisory board of publishing professionals, The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, is an invaluable resource in this rapidly changing world. If you work with words—no matter what the delivery medium—this is the one reference you simply must have.
ISBN: 9780226104201Publication Date: 2010-08-01
Citing Builders & Helpers
Citation Builders are websites which allow the user to write in information about a reference and then generate a citation in APA, MLA, or other style formats. Although these sites are helpful, you must check to make sure that the site is up-to-date with the current edition of a specific style manual and that the results are accurate.
- Citation Builderproduces citations in APA and MLA formats.
- Knight CiteProduces citations in APA, MLA, & Chicago.
- Son of Citation MachineProduces citations in APA, MLS, Chicago & Turabian.