Appendix Part B: Documenting Your Sources

Appendix B: Documenting Your Sources

Printed Page 614-616

Part B: Documenting Your Sources

Documentation identifies the sources of the ideas and the quotations in your document. Documentation consists of the citations in the text throughout your document and the reference list (or list of works cited) at the end of your document. Documentation serves three basic functions:

It helps you acknowledge your debt to your sources. Complete and accurate documentation is a professional obligation, a matter of ethics. Failure to document a source, whether intentional or unintentional, is plagiarism. At most colleges and universities, plagiarism can mean automatic failure of the course and, in some instances, suspension or expulsion. In many companies, it is grounds for immediate dismissal.
It helps you establish credibility. Effective documentation helps you place your document within the general context of continuing research and helps you define it as a responsible contribution to knowledge in the field. Knowing how to use existing research is one mark of a professional.
It helps your readers find your source in case they want to read more about a particular subject.

Three kinds of material should always be documented:

Any quotation from a written source or an interview, even if it is only a few words.
A paraphrased idea, concept, or opinion gathered from your reading. There is one exception. An idea or concept so well known that it has become general knowledge, such as Einstein’s theory of relativity, needs no citation. If you are unsure about whether an item is general knowledge, document it, just to be safe.

Read more about using graphics from other sources in Ch. 12.
Any graphic from a written or an electronic source. Cite the source for a graphic next to the graphic or in the reference list. For an online source, be sure to include a retrieval statement, URL, or DOI in the bibliographic entry. If you are publishing your work, you must also obtain permission to use any graphic protected by copyright.

Just as organizations have their own rules for formatting and punctuation, many organizations also have their own documentation styles. For documents prepared in the workplace, find out your organization’s style and abide by it. Check with your instructor to see which documentation system to use in the documents you write for class. The documentation systems included in this section of the appendix are based on the following style manuals:

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2010). Washington, DC: APA. This system, referred to as APA style, is used widely in the social sciences.
IEEE editorial style manual [PDF]. (2014). Piscataway, NJ: IEEE. This manual provides editorial guidelines for IEEE Transactions, Journals, and Letters, but it is often used for the production of technical documents in areas ranging from computer engineering, biomedical technology, and telecommunications to electric power, aerospace, and consumer electronics.
MLA handbook for writers of research papers (7th ed.). (2009). New York: Modern Language Association. This system, referred to as MLA style, is used widely in the humanities.

Other organizations may prefer one of the following published style guides.

GENERAL

University of Chicago. Chicago manual of style (16th ed.). (2010). Chicago, IL: Author. See also http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

BUSINESS

American Management Association. (2009). The AMA style guide for business writing. New York, NY: AMACOM. See also http://www.amanet.org

CHEMISTRY

American Chemical Society. (2006). ACS style guide: A manual for authors and editors (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author. See also http://www.acs.org

GEOLOGY

Adkins-Heljeson, M., Bates, R. L., & Buchanan, R. (Eds.). (1995). Geowriting: A guide to writing, editing, and printing in earth science (5th rev. ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Geological Institute. See also http://www.agiweb.org

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

U.S. Government Printing Office. (2008). Style manual (30th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. See also http://www.gpo.gov

JOURNALISM

Christian, D., Jacobsen, S., & Minthorn, J. (Eds.). (2013). Associated Press stylebook 2013. New York, NY: Associated Press. See also http://www.ap.org

LAW

Columbia Law Review, Harvard Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and Yale Law Journal. (2010). The bluebook: A uniform system of citation (19th ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law Review Association. See also http://www.legalbluebook.com

MATHEMATICS

Higham, N. J. (1998). Handbook of writing for the mathematical sciences (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. See also http://www.siam.org

MEDICINE

American Medical Association. (2007). American Medical Association manual of style (10th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. See also http://www.amamanualofstyle.com

NATURAL SCIENCES

Council of Science Editors. Scientific style and format: The CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers (7th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. See also http://www.councilscienceeditors.org

PHYSICS

American Institute of Physics, Publication Board. (1990). Style manual for guidance in the preparation of papers (4th ed.). New York, NY: Author. See also http://www.aip.org

POLITICAL SCIENCE

American Political Science Association. (2006). Style manual for political science (rev. ed.). Washington, DC: Author. See also http://www.apsanet.org

SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL WRITING

National Information Standards Organization. (2005). Scientific and technical reports—Preparation, presentation and preservation. Bethesda, MD: Author. See also http://www.niso.org

Rubens, P. (Ed.). (2000). Science and technical writing: A manual of style (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

SOCIAL WORK

National Association of Social Workers. (1995). Writing for the NASW Press: Information for authors (rev. ed.). Washington, DC: Author. See also http://www.naswpress.org

SOCIOLOGY

American Sociological Association. (2007). American Sociological Association style guide (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author. See also http://www.asanet.org