This blog post will cover an essential guide to citation for creative writers, journalists, and other content creators.
If you’re new to the world of academic writing, be sure to check out our guide to citing sources as it covers essential ground. But if you’re an experienced writer seeking to master the art of citation, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll teach you how to properly reference your work so that your professors, peers, and even the occasional TA don’t have any problems lending you the requisite number of credit points in your essay or dissertation. In the interim, sit back, kick your feet up, and get ready to dive in.
Introduction
If you’re reading this, we assume that you’re already familiar with the basics of writing citations and bibliographies. In case you’re not, consider this your crash course on properly citing your sources.
Writing a well-referenced paper is a lot easier than you’d think. All you need is a few key rules along with a little bit of common sense and some creative thinking. Before you begin writing your paper, it’s important to know the basics of citation so that you can cite the appropriate sources for the given topic. The basics include:
What is a citation?
A citation is an important component of your paper. A citation is a reference to another piece of writing or another person’s words that you are using in your own paper. When citing someone else’s work, you must do so accurately and thoroughly. When you are writing your own paper, you are the primary source and therefore you should always be the one to give the reference. In other words, it’s important to “self-cite” when you are presenting information that is already known to the reader.
How do I cite my sources?
When writing your paper, you must follow a certain protocol when it comes to citing your sources. You do this by placing citations at the end of each quotation or phrase that you use. For instance, let’s say you’re writing a review of a book and you want to compare and contrast two different perspectives on the Civil War. You would first need to perform a cursory internet search to see whether or not there are any reviews on the subject. If there are, you will find two distinct reviews: one by a reviewer named Sarah and one by a reviewer named Tim.
Now let’s say that you decide that you agree with Sarah’s review more so than Tim’s. You would then want to cite Sarah’s review as follows:
Where can I find Citations?
While writing your paper, you must ensure that you always have proper citations. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a helpful list of sources that will assist you in finding the information you need to complete your assignment on time. Before we begin, it is important to note that your instructor may have different requirements when it comes to citations depending on the subject matter of your essay or dissertation. For this reason, be sure to consult with your teacher or academic advisor to determine how they want you to format your citations.
Journal Articles
Journal articles are important because they’re often times the most reliable source for the information you need to complete your assignment. By using various keywords, you can filter the results of your search to only show you articles related to your topic. This saves you a great amount of time and ensures you’re only viewing the most reliable sources.
Books
Fiction writers must often resort to using quotes from the literature they’re reading. While in theory this ought to be easy enough, in practice it can be tricky to keep track of who’s said what and in which context. The good news is that you can use citations to help you keep track of who said what and in what context. Books are a great source of information but can be somewhat cumbersome to work with. Luckily again, we’ve got you covered. We’ve put together a list of books that will assist you in writing your thesis or dissertation. You can use the table of contents or the index to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Dissertations
Dissertations are often the largest and most complex pieces of writing you’ll have to do as a student. They can easily cover a variety of subjects so long as you break them down into manageable pieces. One of the things you’ll have to do is work your citations. Just like with your paper, remember to place citations at the end of each quotation or phrase you use. The only difference between a dissertation and a paper is that you have more space to work with. Additionally, the order of your references is completely different. In a paper, you’ll write the main text before you begin your citations. In a dissertation, you’ll start with your thesis statement and then work your way through your references.
When do I put the citation at the end of the quotation or phrase?
As mentioned before, you must place your citations at the end of each quotation or phrase you use. However, this is only the minimum requirement. You must also do so in a relevant and appropriate context. For example, if you’re quoting a famous author in reference to a well-known book, you would want to include the citation to the book before you cite the author. Doing it the other way around could leave the reader wondering if the author actually said what you attributed to him.
What does it mean when a source is “not cited”?
When a source is “not cited”, it means that you’re either unable or unwilling to provide a reference for it. If you don’t cite a source, it doesn’t mean that the information isn’t valid or true. You just haven’t found the appropriate words to express what you know or think. In this case, you might want to reword your sentence or quote in a way that is more suitable for your audience. Maybe you’re not familiar with this source or it was so long ago that you can’t remember where you saw it. In these situations, you should cite the source anyway since the information is still valuable and can lead you to a better understanding of the topic at hand. The key is to find the right words to make your point in a way that is compelling and interesting. Sometimes a simple “No citation needed.” can suffice, other times it might be worth going a bit more in-depth with a short explanation as to why the source is not cited.
What does it mean when a source is “self-cited” or “solely sourced”?
The terms “self-cite” and “solely sourced” are used when the source is the same author or publication that you’re citing in another piece of writing. In these situations, you are essentially “self-citing” because you are presenting information that you already have in your possession. “Solely sourced” is used when referring to a single writer or publication that you’re drawing information from. When writing your paper, you should try to “self-cite” only when it makes sense for your own personal learning purposes. Otherwise, you should go with “solely sourced”. There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to citing sources so long as you keep things logical and make your point clearly.
Why do I have to include the author’s name or a short bio at the end of the quotation?
When writing your paper, you must provide the reader with enough information to understand the source you are citing. This means that you must include the author’s name in the quotation you use or at the very least, provide a short bio on the author. If you don’t include the author’s name, it can lead to confusion as to who exactly you’re talking about. Even if you do include the author’s name, you can still leave off the bio since many people find them quite uninteresting or even annoying. Remember, your paper’s audience is other academics and experts who might have an interest in knowing more about the author you’re discussing.
How can I cite a book I haven’t read?
If you’re citing a book you’ve never read and you’re unable to provide a reliable review, you can still use citation to help you make your point. When writing your paper, you must be able to provide at least a brief summary of the book’s contents. This will help your audience understand what the book is talking about and will allow you to properly cite it. Even if you’ve never read the book, you can usually find reviews online which you can then use as a jumping off point for your own analysis. For instance, let’s say that you’re writing an essay about the Civil War and you’ve never read a book about the subject matter.