Make a research coach appointment with a librarian today and get help framing research questions, finding or accessing resources, and citation help. Students can meet with a librarian face-to-face in Jackson or through Microsoft Teams video conferencing.
Keeping track of where you got your information or research for your project is essential. As researchers, we want our readers to know where we found support for our argument. Your professors will want you to cite your sources for the same reason. So, having a system for keeping track of your sources when you start your project will save you time later on.
There are many ways to keep track of your sources and a librarian would be happy to help you brainstorm ways to do so or help you with citation management software. Some ways to track sources include:
Citing your sources is important because it helps the audience find the information you used in your research project/paper. The library has research guides for citation styles that might help you. We also have copies of the citation manuals. Finally, you can schedule a Research Coach appointment and meet with a librarian one-on-one to answer your citation questions.
Below are some links to citation style guides, citation websites, and other places on campus that are available to help you with your citation questions. If you need assistance with formatting your paper according to a particular citation style or citing your sources, feel free to contact the library.
The Writing Center may be able to help you with citation questions as well.
Purdue OWL provides guidelines for citation styles MLA, APA, as well as Chicago.
APA Guide and Citation Style Manual
MLA Guide and Citation Style Manual
Turabian Guide and Citation Style Manual
Zotero is an online and app-based citation management tool. With Zotero, you can organize, save, and annotate references and create reference lists. Zotero also has a word processing application for Microsoft Word and Google Docs that allows you to import in-text and full citations from your Zotero account.
Note to users: Remember when using Zotero, you have ultimate responsibility for the projects and bibliographies created. You will want to proofread all documents to determine the accuracy of the spelling, capitalization, and general formatting. Take a look at the style manual you are using and compare your reference list and notes to the examples in the style manual
For assistance using Zotero, please visit the Zotero Research Guide or contact a Research Coach.