Citations

If you are writing a paper for a history class it is very likely that you will be required by the professor to include citations to your sources. It is imperative that you learn when you need to include a citation and how to put the citation into the proper format.

When to cite a source

A citation is necessary when you need to tell the reader the SOURCE of your information.

• You should use a citation after a passage in your paper which summarizes the argument made in an article or book because you need to tell the reader where that idea came from—necessary both to give credit to the original author and to direct the reader to a more detailed discussion of those ideas.
• You should use a citation when a passage of your prose which draws an example from a primary source in order to tell the reader that where the information came from and to authenticate your claim.
• Necessarily, a citation is ALWAYS needed for a direct quotes from a primary or secondary source; but a citation would ALSO be necessary for passages in your own words which relate information or arguments drawn from other sources.
• If a series of sentences in one paragraph are drawn from the same source, you may use a single note at the end of the paragraph and list multiple pages. But you must make a new citation for the next paragraph.
• You must always put a citation after a direct quote.
• You generally do not need to cite class discussion, lectures—only published sources. But check with your instructor.
• Place the citation number at the end of a sentence; it should come after the period and outside any quotation mark.

      Samples of good, medium and not so good footnoting.

Citation Format

Citations can take the form of footnotes or endnotes, but the format for both is the same. The faculty in the History Department expect students to put their footnotes or endnotes into what is called the "Chicago Style." These references are denoted by a sequence of superscripted numbers in the text which refer to the notes themselves located at the bottom of each page in the case of footnotes and at the end of the essay in the case of endnotes. Most word processing programs will handle the superscripting and note placement automatically; however, most professors will accept note numbers placed in square brackets in the text (for example [1]). Almost all monographs and articles you read for class will have this footnote style.

• Numbering: Note that you use the number 1 for the first citation in your paper, the number 2 for the second citation, the number 3 for the third, and so forth--REGARDLESS OF WHICH SOURCE YOU ARE CITING IN THAT NOTE. Thus you do not use the number 1 later in the paper if you happen to cite the work originally cited in note #1.
• Full Citation: Each foot or end note needs to give full information on the work (or works) cited, giving the reader the information needed to find the work to which you are referring or evaluate its quality. This information includes: author, title (titles in the case of an article in a journal or book), publication information and date, and a page number or numbers. Click here for Samples.
• Short form citation: The first time you cite the work, a full citation must be given. If you use that work again, an abbreviated format can be used typically consisting of the author’s last name, a recognizable phrase from the title, and the relevant pages. Click here for Samples.
• Ibid: Ibid is an abbreviated term for the Latin term ibidem, which means "in the same place." It can be used as a citation when the source you are citing is EXACTLY the same as the one cited in the previous citation. For example, if you cite a book in note #16, and note #17 is to the same book, you could use Ibid., instead of the author’s name etc. If you cite from the same passage, a page number is not necessary.  Click here for Samples.

NOTE: For more detailed guidelines see A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian.

Citing Sources from the Internet

The Internet has recently become a favorite source for student research, and legitimately so.  Many university, governmental, and commercial web sites offer information about historical topics, including reproductions of primary sources otherwise unavailable in the university library.  Therefore, students will find the Web increasingly useful for research papers and other assignments that involve specialized searches.

It is important to be judicious when using the Internet, as not all sites are reliable.  In fact, many web sites dedicate themselves to advocacy rather than to providing accurate information.  At present there are no set rules students can follow to avoid using unreliable sites, here are some hints:

• Web sites ending in .gov and .edu are usually the most reliable, as they originate from government agencies or faculty/staff at educational institutions.  Web sites ending in .com are usually least reliable.

• Whether a site is “reliable” depends on what you are looking for.  For instance, it will be hard to come by reliable information on the Cuban Revolution by using the web site of the Cuban-American National Foundation.  Nevertheless, that same web site is a great source if your paper is on the foundation itself.

• Check to see whether a certain site advocates a political or other agenda, and evaluate the information on the web site accordingly.

• If you have a choice between a source on the Internet and the same source published in a book, newspaper, or journal, use the printed source.

To cite a web site, provide the EXACT link to the web site in angle brackets.  This may turn your endnote or footnote blue, but you can change the color in the Format Font command of your word processing program. When you are done with your paper, be sure to try these web addresses out on the Internet to make sure you have not mistyped any of them, as a tiny typo will make it impossible to access the web site.  Also cite the date of access and other relevant information as shown below:

1.     Joseph Pellegrino, “Homepage,” 12 May 1999, <http://english.eku.edu/pellegrino/default.htm> (12 June 1999).

2.     Gail Mortimer, The William Faulkner Society Home Page, 16 September 1999,<http://www.utep.edu/mortimer/faulkner/mainfaulkner.htm> (1 October 2000).

Bibliography Format:

Mortimer, Gail.  The William Faulkner Society Home Page.  16 September 1999,  <http://www.utep.edu/mortimer/faulkner/mainfaulkner.htm> (1 October 2000).

NOTE: More precise instructions can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style.