Citing sources and following best practices of attribution can be a methodical and labor-intensive process. Consulting guides and other resources to help you cite properly are a must. Citing sources appropriately and proper use of research can improve your grades on assignments and protect you from accusations of plagiarism, which although frequently committed unintentionally can nonetheless have serious consequences for your academic career.

At Emerson

Working with Research and Avoiding Plagiarism Quiz: This quiz can greatly improve your understanding of what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid it, and best practices in attribution and citation when working with research. You can also discuss your quiz results or get help citing sources and avoiding plagiarism by scheduling an appointment with a WARC Consultant.
WARC “Citation Tips”: This is WARC's departmental website and includes links to the EC Plagiarism Policy, the Iwasaki Library page on Style Guides, a slideshow on preventing plagiarism, and a link to make an appointment at the WARC for further assistance.
Emerson Plagiarism Policy: Here is a link to the official Plagiarism Policy of Emerson College, including definitions of what plagiarism is and what specific actions constitute plagiarism.

Citation Guides

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): This site houses writing resources and instructional material, provided by Purdue University. The OWL includes many of the most common citation guides with examples and is a very popular reference for students working with research in papers and other assignments.

Here are links to the official style guides for a few of the most common citation formats used at Emerson and at most colleges and universities in the United States: MLA Style, APA Style, AP Style, & Chicago Style. Emerson's Iwasaki Library has citation guides to all of these.

The official social media feeds of the organizations who brought us our most used citation styles provide topical and current information from The Associated Press (AP), the Modern Language Association (MLA), and the American Psychological Association (APA). While all are useful for learning about the organizations and generating ideas for papers in the field, the MLA feed is particularly useful for current concerns and advice on citation and attribution.

While online citation generators like bibme.org, easybib.com, mybib.com, and others can be useful for saving time and general guidance, please keep in mind that these tools are not responsible for proper citations in your paper, you are. The official style guides are the primary and most up-to-date sources for proper citation format information. Microsoft Word and other word processing programs also offer in-text citation and works cited page generation tools, but likewise cannot be relied upon for absolute accuracy.

More on Plagiarism and Attribution

Plagiarism.org: As the URL implies, this is a broad resource, including links about understanding, preventing, and teaching plagiarism avoidance. The “Teaching Plagiarism” section is particularly interesting. The site includes instructional videos and a blog.
You Quote It, You Note It! (Acadia University): This is an animated, interactive tutorial that leads students through questions and scenarios pertaining to plagiarism and citations. Users can choose a student avatar from different majors, the choice of which will affect the relevant citation style standard appropriate to the major.
Understanding & Preventing Plagiarism (Accredited Schools Online): This page provides definitions of plagiarism from different authoritative sources like Harvard University and the Purdue OWL. It provides ways to identify plagiarism, as well as tips for preventing plagiarism. It includes a Plagiarism FAQ section and separate lists of resources for students and faculty on the subject.