When conducting academic research, all contributors must be credited. Not to do so is plagiarism, that is, intentionally or unintentionally taking the ideas, work, or words of another without sufficiently acknowledging their source. The following resources will assist you in understanding how to credit the sources of your research, the nature of plagiarism, and how to avoid it.
An easy way to get help with APA citations is to use the OWL Purdue APA Guide.
HOW TO USE THE OWL PURDUE APA Guide:
1. First know if you need a full citation at the end of your paper (usually called the "references" section, or it could be in a bibliography), or a short citation inside the main text of your paper. Look at the menu on the left side of the OWL Purdue APA guide. If you need a short citation in the main text of the paper, choose the "in-text citation" options. If you need a full citation at the end, look at the "reference list" choices.
2. What kind of source do you need a citation for? Check on the menu on the left side to choose different examples of citations for different kinds of sources. For example, if you need a full citation for a peer-reviewed article from an online database, you would choose "Reference List: Articles in Periodicals"
3. Once you get to the section you need, scroll down to find an example that matches your need. Remember that citation forms need to be formatted exactly as you see them. If the example uses a period after the date, you must put a period in the same place. If the second line is indented, you will need to indent your second line as well.
4. If you have any questions or trouble using the guide, please ask the library, we are here to help you!
OTHER RESOURCES:
An easy-to-use, self-paced tutorial from the makers of APA style, the American Psychological Association.