Citations
A citation...
- describes a book, journal article, website, or other item;
- gives credit to the originator of an idea, thus preventing plagiarism;
- enables the reader to retrieve the item you refer to, and
- includes the author, title, source (publisher and place of publication or URL), and date.
Failing to cite a source correctly is plagiarism. Plagiarism is an academic offense and could get you in serious trouble! But don't panic: as long as you follow the citation guidelines, you will be fine. And remember: when in doubt, cite. It is always better to include a citation that you don't need than to forget a citation that you do need.
Check out our Citing Sources Guide if you need more help!
Citing Sources
- CSEA comprehensive guide to CSE style from The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Be aware of whether you should be using citation-sequence, citation-name, or name-year format.
- ASMFrom an American Society for Microbiology journal's Instructions to Authors. Note the most effective way to familiarize yourself with this style will be to look at the reference lists of recent articles published in this journal.
- NLM CatalogSearch by journal name to find (among other things) the correct abbreviation for a journal.
CSE Manual
Scientific Style and Format by Call Number: T11 .S386 2014ISBN: 9780226116495Publication Date: 2014-05-07Developed by the Council of Science Editors (CSE), the leading professional association in science publishing, this indispensable guide encompasses all areas of the sciences. Now in its eighth edition, it has been fully revised to reflect today's best practices in scientific publishing.
A Short Guide to Writing about Biology
All biology majors are required to purchase a copy of this book. The library also has a few copies available. This guide contains, among other things, several suggested citation styles.
A Short Guide to Writing about Biology by Call Number: QH304 .P43 2016Located in Rose Library - Reserves (ask at the circulation desk). The library also has two earlier editions (call numbers QH304 .P43 2007 and QH304 .P43 2013) shelved with the general books in Rose.
Citation Tools
- Store and organize your sources
- Save and share articles found and your notes with collaborators
- Build citations to use in your final bibliography
- ZoteroZotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources
- Zotero Help Guide (U. of Arkansas)The University of Arkansas Library has created this help guide for Zotero users.
- ZoteroBibZoteroBib is a free service that helps you quickly create a bibliography in any citation style.
