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Nursing Resources: Citing Sources



Citation: Describes the source so that others can locate it. Includes publication information, author name, and various other pieces of information, depending on type of source and style requirements.

Citation Style: Provides guidelines for consistent method to follow for documenting sources and for writing style. Some styles are much more flexible than others.

Works Cited: List of sources that were used to prepare the work.

Bibliography: Detailed list of all sources consulted during research even if the sources were not directly referred to in the content of the paper/presentation.

Annotated Bibliography: Annotations can be added to a bibliography to provide a summary of content, value, and quality of the source.

UI Writing Center

What to Cite?

Here's a short list of reasons you should cite:

--To avoid plagiarism

--To give credit where deserved

--To help your readers with their research


What needs to be cited?

--Direct quotes, sentences, or phrases

--Paraphrases, which are summarized or re-phrased content

--Articles or studies that you refer to in your paper

--Historical or statistical facts

--Graphs, images, or charts

--Use of author's argument

What does not need to be cited?

--Proverbs and very well-known quotations

--Common knowledge. This may be difficult to determine. Think about facts that are common knowledge for a well-educated adult (you could even have a test subject). When in doubt, however, cite.

What about information I find on the web?

--You need to cite it unless it meets criteria above


What is plagiarism? A form of academic misconduct, either accidental or deliberate

What constitutes plagiarism?

--Using other's results or methods without permission and referencing

--Borrowing writing or words from any source, without proper referencing

More information on plagiarism can be found on the UI Libraries Guide on Copyright


Jennifer DeBerg

Jennifer DeBerg
319 335 8554
Clinical Education Librarian
