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Citing Sources

This guide provides an overview of citation management software offered at Brandeis, as well as information on print and online citation guides.

Upcoming Workshops

Brandeis Library offers free workshops for members of the Brandeis community. Use the calendar links located below to sign up for our citation support workshops.

Ways to Get Research Help

Why do we cite our sources?

Citing your sources:

  • Allows you the opportunity to acknowledge the authors who have influenced your thinking

  • Builds context for your argument, thesis statement, or research question

  • Allows readers to examine your thinking and make their own judgment about your conclusions, and to follow up on the facts & figures you cite

  • Helps you and your readers to see how your writing fits into a larger conversation

What do we cite?

We cite sources any time we are using words or ideas that are not our own. Types of sources may include:

  • Published texts, such as…

    • Articles from scholarly journals

    • Books & book chapters

    • Government or NGO reports

    • News articles

    • Written information on a website

  • Data or statistics

  • Images and multimedia

Avoid plagiarism

Most plagiarism is unintentional, but it's still considered an infringement of academic honesty. See Section 4 of Student Rights and Responsibilities for more information. 

You can avoid unintentional plagiarism by citing your sources correctly.

About this guide

Explore the pages of this guide to learn about different citation styles and software you can use to generate citations.