Gingrich Library: Your Success Is Why We're Here!
When it is time to gather all of your notes and start writing the paper, avoid the most common mistake - plagiarism. Plagiarism is not only taking large parts of someone else's work and not attributing credit to that author; paraphrasing sections of a work, even using synonyms and citing the work, is also plagiarism.
Even if the ideas are rewritten, the source of the idea must be cited and the author given credit.
Online documents can be particularly problematic because they make it very easy to cut and paste information without thinking and without giving proper credit. Make sure you understand how to cite your sources.
For more information about how to avoid plagiarism, see this video at our Research Den.
In this course, you will use APSA style, Chicago Style 17th ed. (Author-Date).
Here is a tool that can help you cite your resources properly.
Chicago Manual of Style (author-date)
Please note: There are citation generators online that can help--BUT USE THEM WITH CARE. They are not always accurate, so you need to doublecheck the results.
What is the DOI?
A DOI is a unique string of letters and numbers assigned by a publisher to an article. It provides a persisent or stable link to the item on the internet. The American Psychological Association recommends using the DOI when citing documents in APA style.
Where can I find it?
The DOI is typically located on the first page of the electronic journal article, near the copyright notice. In databases such as PsycINFO, you can find the DOI on the article's detail page.
CAUTION: In some databases the DOI will include Albright College's proxy server. Remove .felix.albright.edu.
e.g. http://dx.doi.org.felix.albright.edu/10.1027/1864-1105.20.3.79 should be http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105.20.3.79