BO4102: Research Methods for Herbal Science

Why Should I Cite?

• presenting another person's work as your own is plagiarism;
• citations provide the information that enables others to follow up on (and learn from) your sources;
• citing important sources lends credibility to your research;
• it's the right thing to do!

You must cite your source when:

• you quote, paraphrase or summarize the ideas or words of another author;
• you use an image, graph, artwork or other creative work in any medium.

You don't have to cite your source when:

• the information is common knowledge; a good guide is whether you can easily find the information uncited in several standard reference sources (e.g. George Washington was the first President of the United States);
• you're writing about your own experiences, ideas or observations.

If you're unsure about whether you should cite, you probably should!

For your Research proposal, you are asked to format your citations (for books, journal articles, etc.) in the American Medical Association (AMA) format. 

For detailed information about why and how to cite, see the library's Write & Cite guide. This guide includes information about copyright, plagiarism, web resources for obtaining copyright-free content (e.g. images), and general writing guides.

While there, check out the AMA style guide page underneath the Style Guides tab. Always keep in mind that the purpose of citing is to credit the author and to provide information so that readers can find the sources. 

Write & Cite

Write & Cite: AMA style guide page