Unc why we cite

Watch this short video to learn more about why citations are important. There are many different citation styles. For academic assignments, your instructor will usually specify which style you should use.

Generally speaking, MLA is used more frequently in the humanities, while APA is used more commonly in the social sciences and sciences. However, some subjects may have their own discipline-specific citation types, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME style for the mechanical engineering field.

Whatever style you choose or are asked to use, remember to stick with it consistently throughout your report. In-text citations are used within the text of your paper and indicate to your readers from which source listed in your works cited or bibliography you are extracting information or quotations.

That way, even if you have multiple sources, it is always clear which source you are using at any given time. As with full citations, discussed below, format of in-text citations differs depending on which citation style you are using.

Other styles of in-text citation include footnotes or endnotes, in which continuously sequenced numbers refer the reader to a list of citations elsewhere in the document. Some examples are below.

In-text citations should always have a corresponding full citation on the References or Works Cited page at the end of a paper. Full citations generally have three major parts, though the order and formatting of these parts depends on the citation style you use. Below is an example of an article citation — the full citation for the in-text citation above — using MLA and APA styles. Notice the common elements that are present in both. You find the elements for a citation in the fields of a database or library catalog record or on the information item itself.

Sometimes it can be difficult to be sure what counts as common knowledge. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if a knowledgeable reader would be familiar with the information in question. If he or she would have to look it up to confirm it, you should usually document it. If you're not sure, document it to play it safe. Plagiarism is theft; it is a violation of professional ethics; it is a violation of UNC at Chapel Hill's Honor Code; furthermore, the courts have recognized it as a violation of copyright.

There are many ways to violate copyright, including failure to acknowledge direct quotes or the paraphrasing of another person's work, and the insufficient acknowledgment of such works. For an in-depth discussion of plagiarism , please refer to the Library's Plagiarism Tutorial and the Writing Center's Plagiarism Handout.

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These legal rights are exclusive rights that belong to the owners of copyright usually but not always the creator of a work. Specifically they are legal rights to how a work is expressed, used, and distributed. Numerous individual authors and publications have contributed content to NCpedia. Some NCpedia content is under copyright from the original author or publisher. NCpedia articles that are under copyright have been included or reprinted in NCpedia from these other sources with permission from the copyright owners.

Please assume that entries are under copyright unless otherwise stated. Most NCpedia articles that are under copyright will have a copyright notice and any specific use restrictions specified with the article.

Copyright notices and information about use restrictions appear either at the top of an NCpedia article just above the title or in the author information section just below the article title see image. NCpedia content has been made available by contributors for personal educational use, consistent with provisions of fair use under copyright law. For any other uses, derivatives or republication requests, please contact the individual contributors or publishers. Requests to reprint or republish can be directed to individual contributors or NCpedia, and NCpedia will help viewers with their questions or connect them with the authors and publishers as needed.

NCpedia articles span several decades, so please note the publication and copyright date of individual articles. Many uses of information for personal and educational purposes fall under what is referred to as fair use and as stated in U.

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