Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

When writing research papers students are often required to create a "resources used" page, a "bibliography," or a "list of works cited." This guide is designed to help students with this process.

Why cite sources? To give the author(s) credit for the original work and to enable your readers to consult the same sources:

"Whenever you quote or base your ideas on another person's work, you must document the source you used. Even when you do not quote directly from another work, if reading that source contributed to the ideas presented in your paper, you must give the authors proper credit.

Citations allow readers to locate and further explore the sources you consulted, show the depth and scope of your research, and give credit to authors for their ideas. ... Think of documenting your sources as providing a trail for your reader to follow to see the research you performed and discover what led you to your original contribution." (From the citation guide of the University of California, Berkeley, available online here.)

There are several styles used for citing sources, but the two main styles used at STCC are the Modern Language Association style (MLA) and the American Psychological Association style (APA). Other syles that you might encounter in your academic career include the Chicago Style and the Bluebook style (used mainly for legal material). Typically, citation in just about any style will include: the author(s) name(s); the title of the resource used; the year of publication; the place of publication. If you are citing a Web site, your citation additionally will typically include the url address of the Web site, and the date you viewed the Web site.

Style Manuals:

Tutorial:

Citing Information tutorials from the UNC University Libraries

Websites:

This video walks you through the basics of when and why to cite sources. Be sure to ask your professor which citation style you need to use for your assignments.