Remember, as you write the rough draft, that it is important to use quotation marks around directly quoted material and to refrain from using others' ideas and information as your own. Taking other people's ideas and words and using them as if they were your own is called plagiarism and is considered inappropriate in an academic setting. To avoid plagiarism, be sure to cite your sources, even if you have rewritten information from them into your own words. In other words, you will need to let your reader know where your information comes from. To document the sources of the material you use in the paper, you will use citations.
Citations direct the reader to the sources of the information used.
A citation within the text or body of the paper usually includes the name of the author of the source and a page number and, in some cases, the date of publication. The listing of full citations at the end of the paper provides your reader with more information about your sources. There are a number of citation systems used in academic settings, and each provides specific guidelines about how to cite sources. The MLA system is used primarily in disciplines related to English, history, art, and any humanities. The APA system is used primarily in disciplines related to psychology and the sciences.