“I thought the citation was only for college research papers or essays?”
This is a huge misconception that many authors make when they are consolidating decades of knowledge into a manuscript. Not only is citing work the only guaranteed way to avoid plagiarism, but it also shows your readers that you have done the proper research, further building and establishing your credibility.
Please note, a citation is not to be confused with a summation or paraphrase.
Below I’m going to provide you with my personal quick guide on how and when to use Chicago-Style citations.
Let’s dig in.
What is a Citation?
Have you ever read a book with a great quote that you maybe want to share with a friend? And when you go to share, you tell them “Well, in this particular book, such and such said…” and you proceed to give a brief description of the book and who wrote it? Think of a citation as that brief explanation. Simply put, it is a reference to the source of information used in your research. There are 5 format styles; APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and IEEE. Here at Dream That Big, we personally use and recommend Chicago style citation formatting. One of many reasons is that this style of citing is brief, which allows your reader to focus on the evidence, rather than being preoccupied with the publication of information.
To put it in a nutshell, it’s a brief way of giving credit to the origin of the information or idea that is not your own by saying, “this is where I got this information from, who said it, and when they said it” in your writing.
Now that we’ve established what a citation is, the next step is determining when you need to use them.
When Do You Need a Citation?:
You need a citation whenever you use information or ideas that are not your own. To break it down further:
→ When you use quotations, opinions, and predictions, whether directly quoted or paraphrased.
→ When you quote statistics.
→ When you use another author’s theories.
→ When you refer to case studies.
→ When you refer to your own previously published work.
→ When you quote two or more words verbatim or even one word if it is used in a way that is unique to the source.
When is it Okay Not to Use a Citation?
To play it safe, you should always have a citation any time you incorporate research, words, ideas, data, or information that is not your own. I know you’re wondering, “well, what don’t I cite then?” So here is a short list of things you aren’t required to cite:
→ Your own personal information or experiences.
→ Your own arguments or opinions.
→ Your own videos, photographs, and other artwork you’ve created.
→ “Common knowledge”- Be careful with this one, it can get a little tricky to distinguish.
Rule of Thumb: When in doubt, CITE IT.
How Do You Do a Proper Citation?:
If you’re like me and want to take the guesswork out of whether or not you cite someone’s work correctly, there are free online citation machines that require minimal information and generate the citation for you in any format such as Grammarly, MyBib, PurdueOwl, and Citation Machine. Nevertheless, knowing how to properly cite without the use of a citation generator is still a great skill to have.
This is the proper format for a Chicago Style Citation:
Author last name, first name. Year. “Title of Article.” Name of Publication, month date, year. URL if applicable.
For example: If I wanted to cite Albert Einstein within my work, my citation would read:
Albert Einstein, The Meaning of Relativity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1923), 44–45
The citation would be placed at the end of the relevant sentence (before the period). You can also integrate it into the sentence. You’ll want to be mindful of punctuation in a citation, misplacement of periods and commas can easily confuse your reader. Here are some key points to keep in mind when generating a citation:
→ If you name the author in your sentence, you only need to include the date and page number in parentheses.
→ If there is no author, use the first word of the title of the work (excluding The, A, An).
→ Endnotes, which are sources cited at the end of the chapter or book, are a more efficient way to cite your sources, allowing you to give more details at the end of your work, minimizing the amount of information needed in your text.
→ When citing from a journal, you’ll need to specify the volume and issue as well as the date of publication.
I know you’re probably tired of all these lists by now, but if someone used your words within their work, wouldn’t you want your flowers? Citations assist readers in understanding the context and give acknowledgement to the original author, making them vital to any form of writing. They consist of standard elements to help your readers locate applicable resources used throughout your work. Most importantly, as stated before, it is the only guaranteed way to avoid plagiarism which is illegal and can majorly discredit your work and position as an author in the long-term. Citations may look different depending on what you’re citing and which citation format you’re utilizing, yet you should always let your readers know when your information stems from another source, and you should always be sure to incorporate it within your work.
If you need guidance with writing and editing your book to avoid plagiarism, our expert team of editors and writing coaches can assist. Please reach out for more information!
References:
Gahan, C. (2022, December 5). Chicago style citation examples: Website, book, article, video. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/citation-examples/#:~:text=Chicago%20book%20citation,-Chicago%20Notes%20and&text=Author%20first%20name%20last%20name,%2C%20page%20number(s).&text=Albert%20Einstein%2C%20The%20Meaning%20of,1923)%2C%2044%E2%80%9345.
“Library Guides: Citing Sources: What Are Citations and Why Should I Use Them?” What are citations and why should I use them? – Citing Sources – Library Guides at University of Washington Libraries. https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/citations/citationwhat#:~:text=Citations%20are%20a%20way%20of,roadmap%20to%20your%20research%20process.
Author Nicole H., “Why Are Citations Important? 5 Reasons Why They Matter.” Become a Writer Today, July 21, 2023. https://becomeawritertoday.com/why-are-citations-important/.
“I thought the citation was only for college research papers or essays?”
This is a huge misconception that many authors make when they are consolidating decades of knowledge into a manuscript. Not only is citing work the only guaranteed way to avoid plagiarism, but it also shows your readers that you have done the proper research, further building and establishing your credibility.
Please note, a citation is not to be confused with a summation or paraphrase.
Below I’m going to provide you with my personal quick guide on how and when to use Chicago-Style citations.
Let’s dig in.
What is a Citation?
Have you ever read a book with a great quote that you maybe want to share with a friend? And when you go to share, you tell them “Well, in this particular book, such and such said…” and you proceed to give a brief description of the book and who wrote it? Think of a citation as that brief explanation. Simply put, it is a reference to the source of information used in your research. There are 5 format styles; APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and IEEE. Here at Dream That Big, we personally use and recommend Chicago style citation formatting. One of many reasons is that this style of citing is brief, which allows your reader to focus on the evidence, rather than being preoccupied with the publication of information.
To put it in a nutshell, it’s a brief way of giving credit to the origin of the information or idea that is not your own by saying, “this is where I got this information from, who said it, and when they said it” in your writing.
Now that we’ve established what a citation is, the next step is determining when you need to use them.
When Do You Need a Citation?:
You need a citation whenever you use information or ideas that are not your own. To break it down further:
→ When you use quotations, opinions, and predictions, whether directly quoted or paraphrased.
→ When you quote statistics.
→ When you use another author’s theories.
→ When you refer to case studies.
→ When you refer to your own previously published work.
→ When you quote two or more words verbatim or even one word if it is used in a way that is unique to the source.
When is it Okay Not to Use a Citation?
To play it safe, you should always have a citation any time you incorporate research, words, ideas, data, or information that is not your own. I know you’re wondering, “well, what don’t I cite then?” So here is a short list of things you aren’t required to cite:
→ Your own personal information or experiences.
→ Your own arguments or opinions.
→ Your own videos, photographs, and other artwork you’ve created.
→ “Common knowledge”- Be careful with this one, it can get a little tricky to distinguish.
Rule of Thumb: When in doubt, CITE IT.
How Do You Do a Proper Citation?:
If you’re like me and want to take the guesswork out of whether or not you cite someone’s work correctly, there are free online citation machines that require minimal information and generate the citation for you in any format such as Grammarly, MyBib, PurdueOwl, and Citation Machine. Nevertheless, knowing how to properly cite without the use of a citation generator is still a great skill to have.
This is the proper format for a Chicago Style Citation:
Author last name, first name. Year. “Title of Article.” Name of Publication, month date, year. URL if applicable.
For example: If I wanted to cite Albert Einstein within my work, my citation would read:
Albert Einstein, The Meaning of Relativity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1923), 44–45
The citation would be placed at the end of the relevant sentence (before the period). You can also integrate it into the sentence. You’ll want to be mindful of punctuation in a citation, misplacement of periods and commas can easily confuse your reader. Here are some key points to keep in mind when generating a citation:
→ If you name the author in your sentence, you only need to include the date and page number in parentheses.
→ If there is no author, use the first word of the title of the work (excluding The, A, An).
→ Endnotes, which are sources cited at the end of the chapter or book, are a more efficient way to cite your sources, allowing you to give more details at the end of your work, minimizing the amount of information needed in your text.
→ When citing from a journal, you’ll need to specify the volume and issue as well as the date of publication.
I know you’re probably tired of all these lists by now, but if someone used your words within their work, wouldn’t you want your flowers? Citations assist readers in understanding the context and give acknowledgement to the original author, making them vital to any form of writing. They consist of standard elements to help your readers locate applicable resources used throughout your work. Most importantly, as stated before, it is the only guaranteed way to avoid plagiarism which is illegal and can majorly discredit your work and position as an author in the long-term. Citations may look different depending on what you’re citing and which citation format you’re utilizing, yet you should always let your readers know when your information stems from another source, and you should always be sure to incorporate it within your work.
If you need guidance with writing and editing your book to avoid plagiarism, our expert team of editors and writing coaches can assist. Please reach out for more information!
References:
Gahan, C. (2022, December 5). Chicago style citation examples: Website, book, article, video. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/citation-examples/#:~:text=Chicago%20book%20citation,-Chicago%20Notes%20and&text=Author%20first%20name%20last%20name,%2C%20page%20number(s).&text=Albert%20Einstein%2C%20The%20Meaning%20of,1923)%2C%2044%E2%80%9345.
“Library Guides: Citing Sources: What Are Citations and Why Should I Use Them?” What are citations and why should I use them? – Citing Sources – Library Guides at University of Washington Libraries. https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/citations/citationwhat#:~:text=Citations%20are%20a%20way%20of,roadmap%20to%20your%20research%20process.
Author Nicole H., “Why Are Citations Important? 5 Reasons Why They Matter.” Become a Writer Today, July 21, 2023. https://becomeawritertoday.com/why-are-citations-important/.
-Octoryia Robinson
