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Crediting Sources

Crediting your sources helps you to avoid plagiarism, which means presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own. (See pages 297–300.) Never plagiarize.

Crediting your sources also lends authority to your writing. It says, “Here are the people who stand behind my details.” Not crediting your sources is like telling the reader, “This information is true because I said so.” Nobody wants to hear that.

Finally, in our information-rich world, time is precious. When you reveal your sources of information, the reader can easily find and read more about your topic.

When to Credit Sources

The basic rule for deciding when to credit a source is to ask yourself, “Is this information common knowledge?” Common knowledge can be found in a general dictionary or encyclopedia and does not need to be credited (but don’t copy it word for word).