Giving formal credit to sources is necessary for a few key reasons. Documenting sources allows you to
make evident to an audience that you have done your homework, researched the topic thoroughly, and are aware of larger conversations, discussions, and research related to the topic
direct an audience to the original material that you gathered and used to conduct research and write up your findings
give credit where credit is due, acknowledging your use of someone else’s ideas—whether they’re expressed in written words, static or moving images, sound, or multiple modes.
You may be familiar with instructors’ expectations about different documentation styles. For more details about the style required in your discipline or course, see the following:
Related topics:
Documenting sources in MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles
Knowing when a citation is needed
Integrating sources in a multimodal composition
Documenting sources in a multimodal composition