Citing Sources: Citing Sources Home

What is a citation?

Citations contain detailed information about the sources you use for your research. There are a variety of styles used for presenting this information. Please consult your professor if you have any question about which style you are to use. Regardless of which style you use, there are two basic types of citations:

1. full citations - those you list at the end of your work (such as a Works Cited or References page) 
2. in-text-citations - those within the text of your work 

The specific information you use in your paper or presentation depends on the citation style being used and the source of the information. Citations usually include the following:

• Author
• Title
• Publication info (company, date, etc.)
• Source info (database, journal volume/issue, pages, etc.)

Why use citations?

1. To allow the reader to find the material you are citing.
2. To give credit to the person(s) who took the time to make the information available to you.
3. To make a stronger case for the information you are presenting by backing it up with quality sources.
4. To avoid plagiarism (see information about Academic Honesty at GRCC).

If you need help with your citations, fill out our Ask-A-Librarian Reference Request form. A librarian will respond within 24 hours (usually less than 20 minutes during Virtual Reference Hours).

For additional help, visit the GRCC Language Arts Tutorial Lab, which provides support to all students who have questions related to reading, writing, or language studies.

These style guides are considered the authorities for citation and formatting rules and are available in the library.