Information Literacy Skills: Search, Find and Evaluate Sources: Referencing sources

Why is it important to reference sources of information?

• You give authors credit for their work
• You show that you haven't made information up
• You show that you are using reliable information
• You show the connection between your work and the work of others
• Using multiple sources of information shows that you have studied the subject in depth
• You make your work verifiable for others
• You point readers to different publications on the topic that may be of interest to them
• You avoid committing plagiarism

How should you refer to sources of information?
Depending on your field and/or study, you use one of the following ways to refer to the source of information:

APA
Guide for legal authors