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Writing 10 (Sandoval, Spring 2025)

Why Cite?

Citing your sources is important because:

  • Giving credit (attribution) to original authors helps you avoid plagiarizing
  • Citations allow your readers to find your sources
  • Citations add credibility to your arguments
  • Your professors expect it as part of standard academic discourse

UC Merced Library's guide to citing your sources: https://library.ucmerced.edu/research/students/citing-sources

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity at UC Merced

Citation Formats

Different citation formats are used by different academic disciplines.  Professors will often require a particular format, but if they have no preference these guidelines may be helpful:

  • APA - psychology, education, and other social sciences
  • MLA - literature, arts, and humanities
  • Turabian - designed for college students to use with all subjects
  • Chicago - used with all subjects in the "real world" by books, magazines, newspapers and other non-scholarly publications

MLA formatting from Excelsior University OWL (Olivia's preference): https://owl.excelsior.edu/citation-and-documentation/mla-style/

Tutorials

   How to Avoid Plagiarism: What is Plagiarism?  [ flash ]
Watch this entertaining set of movies to gain an understanding of plagiarism and how to best avoid risking your academic integrity.
By the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers.
 
How to Avoid Plagiarism: Real Life Examples  [ flash ]
Watch this entertaining set of movies to gain an understanding of plagiarism and how to best avoid risking your academic integrity.
By the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers.
 
How to Avoid Plagiarism: The Cite is Right Quiz Show  [ flash ]
Watch this entertaining set of movies to gain an understanding of plagiarism and how to best avoid risking your academic integrity.
By the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers.
 
Preventing Plagiarism: Keepin' it Real  [ flash ]
This tutorial uses talking avatars and graphics to explain the pitfalls of plagiarism.
Created by Alanna Aiko Moore, Alice Perez, Gayatri Singh and Marlo Young at UC San Diego's Social Science & Humanities Library.