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*English

A guide to research resources for the study of English language and literature.

Why We Cite

There are plenty of reasons to use proper citations in your research.  Here are just a few:

  • Give credit where credit is due. (It's the right thing to do.)
  • Enhance the credibility of your argument with supporting evidence.
  • Point out the dialog you are having with other scholars and their ideas.
  • Provide your reader with additional sources for further reading.
  • Avoid plagiarism: unfairly taking personal credit for other authors' ideas.

MLA Handbook (2016)

Citation Management Tools

Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh") is an application that helps collect, manage, and cite research sources. With Zotero the user can:

  • Automatically extract citation information from websites, library catalogs, databases, and more.
  • Save PDF files, images, screenshots, and other files.
  • Sync citations and files you save online across multiple devices

Zotero is an open source program and is free.

Please see this Zotero User's LibGuide for installation directions and more information.

Mendeley is a reference manager that allows you to create a personal database of references related to your research. It allows you to access, upload, and insert citations into a Word document using any citation style.

Mendeley users can sign up for a free account that offers 2GB of space and the ability to create 5 private groups with up to 25 members. Users can upgrade to a premium plan to access more space or groups.

Please see the Mendeley LibGuide for more information and installation directions.

Citing Images

Citing sources properly is an essential component of your research. The following resources can facilitate the process:

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