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To Cite or Not to Cite »
Sometimes trying to figure out what you need to cite can be a challenge. Below are some reminders on what you need to cite followed by a interactive matching game you can test your knowledge with.
YOU NEED TO CITE:
- Direct quotes
- Paraphrases (rephrased or summarized material)
- Phrases taken from sources
- Words specific or unique to the author's research, theories, or ideas
- Use of an author's argument or line of thinking
- Historical, statistical, or scientific facts
- Articles or studies you may refer to within your text
- Information from subject specific resources (e.g., medical dictionaries, encyclopedias or web sites focused on medicine or specific medical procedures and conditions)
YOU DO NOT NEED TO CITE:
- Proverbs, axioms, and sayings ("All's well that ends well")
- Well-known quotations ("If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything")
- Common knowledge (Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod, or the sun is a star, or Leonardo da Vinci painted the "Mona Lisa"). TIP: Common knowledge is often defined as information you can find in five or more credible sources, but when in doubt, cite the information. It's better to have an instructor say it is common knowledge than think you plagiarized (even if it is accidental).
- Information in most general knowledge encyclopedias, almanacs or dictionaries
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Put the index card of information in the correct box. Do you know what information needs to be cited?
Must Cite
Do NOT Need to Cite
Sirenomeila is when humans are born with their legs fused.
There are four seasons in a year.
Florence Nightingale was a nurse.
Macrobiotic diets do not include processed and/or refined foods.