CNM Libraries | Citation Help
Plagiarism
Using proper citation is important not only because it gives credit to authors for original ideas and work, but also because it protects you from plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the writings or ideas of someone else and presenting them as your own original work. Merely rewording quotes or ideas does not safeguard you from committing plagiarism.
All students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner coinciding with CNM's Code of Conduct; similarly, all library users are expected to conduct themselves in a manner coinciding with the CNM Libraries' Code of Conduct. Any student caught plagiarizing will be subjected to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension from the college.
The easiest way to avoid plagiarism is to give credit to the author for thoughts and ideas that are not your own and properly cite exact quotes you want to use in your writing.
Read CNM's Policy on academic dishonesty to find out what might constitute academic dishonesty or plagiarism.
"Avoiding Plagiarism," from Northwestern University, provides more information with guidelines and tips for citation and avoiding plagiarism in your writing.
Citation Styles
Most instructors have a preference for citation style that is determined by the subject of each course.
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used for documentation in the humanities (i.e., English, modern languages, literature, history, philosophy, etc.).
APA (American Psychological Association) style is used for research related to the social sciences (i.e., psychology, linguistics, political science, etc.).
Chicago (The Chicago Manual of Style) is a style guide for American English and is widely used in the field of publishing.
Check with your instructors to see if they have a preference for which style you use when doing research. If they don't specify a particular style, be sure to choose one and use it consistently throughout your entire paper.
Organizing Citations
When doing research be sure to write down citation information should you later want to quote or cite any ideas in your own work. All the database articles have citation information either within the article or within the abstract; be sure to print that out along with the article in order to keep track of the information.
CNM Libraries both have copies of The Little Brown Handbook, which can help you with various research-related assignments and give you some general guidelines for works cited pages. They can be found in the reference and reserve sections under the following call number: PE1112 .F64 2007.
Citation Guidelines
APA (American Psychological Association) Style:
- The Main Campus Library has an APA style manual in reference (call number: BF76.7 .P828 1998)
- Visit the APA Style Site
- Visit the "APA Documentation Guide" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center for guidelines and examples
Chicago (Chicago Manual of Style) Style:
- The CNM Libraries own a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style in reference (call number: Z253 .U69 2003)
- Visit the "Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide" at Ohio State University
- Visit the Chicago Manual of Style Online
- Visit the "Chicago Documentation Guide" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center for guidelines and examples
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style:
- The CNM Libraries own a copy of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers in reference (call number: LB2369 .G53 2003b)
- Visit the "MLA Formatting and Style Guide" at Purdue University OWL
- Visit "Documentation and Research Online" through Bedford
- Visit the "MLA Documentation Guide" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center for guidelines and examples
General Citation Guidelines:
- Documentation in the Disciplines from The Little Brown Handbook
- Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper from Duke University
- MLA Works Cited Documentation
- Works Cited Page: Basic Format from Purdue University
