Writing & Research Center

Use the library's databases. Go here for the full list of databases.

Use trustworthy online web pages. Verify information you find on the web. 

Be careful using automatic citation builders. If you do use them, make sure to double-check all of your citations before submitting your paper. Check out the Citation Styles Infoguide for citation templates for common source types.

Make copies of the sources you use:

• Books - Copy the title page, the copyright page, and any pages used as a reference.

• Online database sources - Save the landing page (citation page) and the PDF file (at least the first page, pages referenced, and the last page).

• Online websites - Save the first page, the pages used, and the last page.

Be certain which documentation style the instructor wants: MLA, APA, Chicago Style, AMA, CSE (Council of Science Editors)

If you paraphrase, 3 rules must be followed:
1. The sentence structure of the paraphrase must be different from the sentence structure of the original.
2. The vocabulary of the paraphrase must differ from the vocabulary in the original.
3. The meaning of the paraphrase must be the same as the meaning of the original.

Usually for research papers, 75% - 80% of the paper must be your writing of your original thoughts. This means 25% - 20% must be research.