This guide provides some basic instructions on the practice of referencing and citing in academic writing and will be beneficial to both students who are new to academic writing and students who are familiar but in need of a quick refresher.
This glossary provides an explanation of some keywords commonly used when discussing referencing, citing, and accessing information while conducting academic research and practicing academic writing.
| Terms | Explanation |
| abstract | A short text providing essential information about a piece of writing, often appearing at the beginning of a research paper/report/article. |
| academic article |
A text written for academic purposes, e.g. detailing a research project, analyzing a debatable position, etc. |
| APA |
Abbreviations for American Psychological Association. Often used to refer to APA style, a style manual for academic articles and other academic texts. |
| author |
The creator of an essay, a book, an article, an image, etc. An author can be:
|
| bibliography | A list of sources of information mentioned in a text, or consulted in the writing process of that text. |
| cite | To make a reference to a source of information and give credit to the author of the source. |
| citation |
A properly formatted source of information, often appearing:
|
| common knowledge |
Knowledge about a certain topic or within a certain discipline that appears in at least 5 credible sources without citation (Purdue OWL) E.g. Canada is a country in North America. Vincent van Gogh painted the Starry Night. |
| copyright |
Legal protections that give the owners exclusive rights to control the use, distribution, and reproduction of their original works. You know when something is copyrighted when you see the © symbol. |
| Creative Commons |
|
| database |
An organized collection of data, information or articles that can be easily accessed, managed, and searched. Databases are especially useful for conducting academic research. As a LaSalle Vancouver student you have access to these databases. |
| MLA |
Abbreviations for Modern Language Association. Often used to refer to MLA style, a style manual for academic articles and other academic texts. |
| open access | Free and unrestricted access to research and scholarly work online. |
| peer review |
|
|
quote quote/quotation |
To report a group of words from a text or speech written or spoken by someone else.
Example: "This is a direct quote."
|
| reference | A reference is a mention of a source of information in your writing. |
| research | Research is the process of investigation of a topic, aiming the discovery of new information or to work on solving a problem. To do research, one needs to use systematic methods, for example observation, experimentation, and analysis. |
| source | Any material or resource, such as a book, article, website, or person, that provides data, facts, or insights for research or understanding a topic.* |
| summary | A summary is a brief restatement of the main points or ideas and key arguments of a larger text or event, omitting detailed examples and explanations. |
The concept of source is a broad one, meaning that almost anything can be a source of information, be it a conversation, a book, a movie and many others. So to choose the most proper type of source for our research in college we need to understand the most common categories we usually find, they can be:
| Definition | Examples | |
| Academic |
Formal and peer-reviewed Written by experts for scholarly research |
Books Academic articles found in databases and journals |
| Non-academic |
Often informal and lacks peer review Intended for a general audience |
Blog posts internet articles from news media platforms |
| Definition | Examples | |
| Primary source |
Original, firsthand evidence |
Photographs, paintings TV shows, movies, songs Cultural artefacts (esp. in the social sciences) Research data and results (in empirical studies) Letters, text messages |
| Secondary source |
Interprets or analyzes primary sources
|
Academic articles analyzing a certain painting Blog posts analyzing a certain movie Youtube videos discussing a song Books analyzing another more famous book |
| Tertiary source | Compiles and summarizes primary and secondary sources |
Encyclopedias Atlases |
It can be hard for students new to academic research to evaluate whether a source is worth using. Writing in College by Amy Guptill provides us with this helpful ranking of source credibility to consider when doing research and writing.
Note: Your research may include sources from any tier. However, in thoughtful, carefully-researched papers, Tier 1 and 2 sources make up the majority of the references.
| Tier | Type | Content | Uses | How to find them |
| 1 | Peer-reviewed academic publications | Rigorous research and analysis | Provide strong evidence for claims and references to other high-quality sources |
Google Scholar |
| 2 | Reports, articles, and books from credible non-academic sources | Well researched and even-handed descriptions of an event or state of the world |
Initial research on events or trends not yet analyzed in the academic literature May reference important Tier 1 sources |
Websites of relevant agencies Google searches using (site: *.gov or site: *.org) Academic article databases |
| 3 | Short pieces from newspapers or credible websites | Simple reporting of events, research findings, or policy changes |
Often point to useful Tier 2 or Tier 1 sources May provide a factoid or two not found anywhere else |
Strategic Google searches OR article databases including newspapers and magazines |
| 4 | Agenda-driven or uncertain pieces | Mostly opinion, varying in thoughtfulness and credibility |
May represent a particular position within a debate More often provide keywords and clues about higher quality sources |
Non-specific Google searches AI-generated search results |
Scholarship means the state of being a scholar. Students in higher education are considered junior scholars and thus expected to also contribute to scholarly conversations through writing.
While writing, you are encouraged to read, watch, digest, reflect on, and question others' research and ideas through articles, lectures, interviews, etc. Often that research and those ideas are also built on the work of others who are engaged in creating new knowledge in a certain field of study.
The act of referencing and properly citing means that you are connecting various participants in, and contributing to, a broader, continually evolving scholarly conversation.
It is important to give credit to others' for their ideas. Intellectual property has both legal and social elements that are defined by the context in which it is used. In the context of higher education in North America, others' information is valued and should be properly attributed as a principle of academic honesty.
Whenever you reference (mention) a source of information in a written or spoken text, it is good practice to cite.
Under-citing or not citing at all is often a much bigger problem than over-citing. So when in doubt, cite!
Citation style vary amongst different citation styles. Citation appears in the written text in two places:
There are three ways you can make a reference (mention) to someone else's words or ideas in your writing:
| Definition | When to use | |
| Direct quoting |
Exact repetition of the original text or speech Can be isolated phrases or full sentences or full paragraphs Often appearing within quotation marks ("...") in written language
|
Should be used very sparingly and strategically To emphasize and/or analyze the original text OR when paraphrasing or summarizing is not possible |
| Paraphrasing | Reporting the original text or speech by changing its wording and fundamental grammatical structure but keeping the original meaning | To report, interpret, and analyze the original quote |
| Summarizing | Shortening the original text or speech by changing its wording and fundamental grammatical structure and only retaining the main points |
To report the main points of the original quote
|
Your instructor should specify which citation style to use for written assignments, presentations, etc. The following table outlines citation style preferences by field of study:
| Program Cluster | Citation Style |
|---|---|
| Culinary | APA |
| Graphic Design & Photography | MLA |
| Fashion | APA |
| Game | APA |
| Interior Design | APA |
| Media Arts | MLA |
| Associate of Arts |
Citing when using AI-generated content is essential to properly attribute sources, ensure accuracy, and give due credit.
Follow the guidelines referenced here.
Note: A few things to keep in mind while citing AI:
- Using MLA: follow the instructions of example 3 here.
- Using APA: follow the instructions of the section 'How to reference AI-generated images in APA 7th' here.
Creative Commons (CC) licenses allow creators to share their work with certain permissions. These licenses make it easier to share and use creative works legally, here's what the CC symbols represent:
Learn more about the licenses here.
*The NC license image may vary according to the currency symbol of each country.
This guide was adapted from one created by Tessa Withorn, Carolyn Caffrey Gardner, Maggie Clarke, and Jillian Holt Eslami at CSUDH Library and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
This guide contains elements from Writing in College Copyright © 2016 by Amy Guptill. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.