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DEVS 100: Library Tutorial

Citing sources

Throughout the research process it is important for you to keep track of your information sources. Fortunately, many of the electronic databases you will be using (including QCAT) offer you the option to download, print or email the citations to the material you find. This is a great way to keep track of the information you're considering.

Citing sources is a key part of your research: it documents what sources you have used in writing your paper and gives credit to an author's work that you have used. It also gives information to identify and retrieve the cited sources.

There are many citation styles available and the preferred style varies between disciplines. DEVS 100 uses the ASA style. Based on the American Sociological Association Style Guide, the Department of Sociology has produced its own ASA Style Guide Style and Reference Guide for Undergraduate Essays. Refer to this Style and Reference Guide for information on how to cite different types of material and how to reference an author's ideas.

Here are some examples to help you get started:

Book with One Author:  Author’s last name, first name. date of publication. title in italics. place of publication: publisher.
Acker, Joan R. 1989. Doing Comparable Worth: Gender, Class, and Pay Equity. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
 
Book, edited:
Leonard, Kimberly Kempf, Carl E. Pope, William H. Feyerherm, eds. 1995. Minorities in Juvenile Justice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

 

 

 

 

 

Journal Article: One Author Author1 (last name inverted). Date of publication. “Title of the article.” Name of the publication in italics Volume Number (Issue Number):page numbers of article.
Waldfogel, Jane. 1997. “The Effect of Children on Women’s Wages.” American Sociological Review 62(2):209-17.

 

 

 

 

 

Government Publication: Group or Organization as Author Canada.
Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. 1982. Outstanding Business: A Native Claims Policy. Ottawa, ON: Ministry of Supply and Services.
  

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is a serious offense. Citing your sources is one way to avoid plagiarism. To test your knowledge of plagiarism and how to avoid it, try this interactive tutorial created by Vaughan Memorial Library, Acadia University:

You Quote It, You Note It! 

 

Student Academic Success Services at Queen's has a great handout to help guide you through the writing process and avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism Handout