Hege Library & Learning Technologies

ENGL 102: College Reading and Writing

When Should I Cite?

You should include a citation if you:

1. Use a direct quote

2. Summarize an outside source

3. Paraphrase an idea, quote, or passage from someone else

If you are unsure about whether you need to cite, go ahead and do it. Better safe than sorry when it comes to avoiding plagiarism.

MLA Style Guide

For MLA citations, please consult the MLA Handbook in our library catalog, and we recommend the Seneca Libraries online guide and Purdue OWL online guide to learn how to format and write citations in MLA Style.

Seneca Libraries guide to MLA citation: http://seneca.libguides.com/mla
Purdue OWL guide: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

MLA Handbook by The Modern Language Association of America
Call Number: Available at the Research & Referral Desk - does not circulate
ISBN: 9781603292627
Publication Date: 2016-04-01

You can also access tutorial videos from Hoonuit. Log in with your Guilford credentials and search for the course MLA (8th Ed.) Research Paper Basics.

Among these tutorial videos, you will find examples of how to properly cite some of the most common source types, such as books and journal articles.

Citation Tools

Zotero
Zotero collects and manages citation information from your research, allowing you to generate bibliographies, share resources, and even create in-text citations as you write with an additional plugin. And it is entirely free and open source! See the library's guide to Zotero at https://library.guilford.edu/zotero/
CitationFox - APA
Provides examples of citations for many source types. The branching selection makes it easy to find your source, from blogs and online video clips to library databases and government documents..
CitationFox - MLA
Provides examples of citations for many source types. The branching selection makes it easy to find your source, from blogs and online video clips to library databases and government documents..
EasyBib (MLA only)
This free version of Easy Bib enerates citations in MLA style. Be sure to check generated citations against examples from reliable guides-- generated citations can have errors.

Last Updated: Jan 6, 2025 12:24 PM
URL: https://library.guilford.edu/ENGL102
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