C) Citing

Citing the sources that you have used in your paper is arguably the most important part of writing a paper. It is extremely important to distinguish clearly between the ideas and words of others and those that represent your original thinking. Failure to document your sources correctly results in plagiarism, a serious academic offense. Athabasca University expects all students enrolled in courses to follow the Code of Conduct outlined in the calendar.

Psychology students are expected to use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association when referencing the materials used in writing papers. This book can be borrowed from the Athabasca University Library.

Why Use a Citation Style?

Citation styles are used to accomplish two things in your paper

1. To create a References list, which is a list of all the sources you cited in the text of your paper. This appears at the end of the paper.

2. To link the information in the text of your paper to the sources from which that information is derived. Parenthetical documentation is the simplest method. The parenthetical citations, which appear in the text of the paper, are keyed to the list of sources that you include at the end of the paper.

For more information and examples see:

APA Style
Click on "Electronic References" for official APA guidelines on citing information from electronic sources.

Online! a reference guide to using internet sources
This is the Web site for Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger's book of the same title. Provides detailed advice for citing Internet-based resources using a variety of citation styles including APA, MLA, Chicago, and CBE styles.

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL)
This page provides detailed explanations of how to cite using APA format. Also available through OWL are various guides on writing, including grammar.

If you have questions or comments about this guide, please feel free to contact the library for assistance.

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Last updated May 28, 2003