Giving credit at every opportunity to the work of others in academic writing is essential to show how we develop arguments and viewpoints.  Because we build on the work of others in order to form new knowledge, we must cite the work that came before us to help readers understand how we reached our conclusions.

There are different styles used to format your in-text citations and reference lists / bibliography (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago and more). Citations provide our readers (and future researchers) with the publishing information about the resource so they can access it on their own (e.g., creator names, titles and when applicable page numbers, publishing company, editors,  edition, volumes).

Be sure to look up the correct formatting for the type of resource. For example,  the citation for an article published in newspaper, magazine, scholarly journals or website will display different info in their bibliography and occasionally the in-text citation. 

The following guides are useful resources and you can always check with a librarian if you have any questions.  

Not every statement in your writing needs to be cited.  Every discipline has a generally accepted definition of what is considered "common knowledge" in that discipline, and those statements need not be attached to a citation. 

This handy flowchart can help you decide.

Consult with your instructor or TA if you're uncertain of what would be considered common knowledge and what would need to be accompanied by a citation to a supporting source.