Things that Give Writers Fits

Attribution

That writers really struggle with this issue is probably the greatest mystery of my teaching life. It’s really very simple.

If you write an idea that was not born inside your own head, you must tell your reader where that idea came from. If you don’t do this, you are being dishonest — even if you don’t mean to be.

There are several ways to formally tell your reader where you found the information. Two common methods are the American Psychological Association style and the Modern Language Association style. If you are writing an academic paper, tradition usually requires that you follow one of these styles. Each of these styles are detailed in thick books available at nearly every library. But here’s the gist of them both: immediately after you write an idea that you did not think up on your own, write in parenthesis the name of the person who should get credit for the idea. Then, at the end of your writing, write a list of all of the “sources” you “cite.” In this list, make sure you include names, publication dates, and any other information the reader will need to find (and verify) your information. The two style guides have many more details on how to format this list. You can also check out this site that helps you format your citations.

If you are writing a less formal paper (for, say, a newspaper or for some other purpose), a good rule of thumb is to follow the Associated Press style which, in a nutshell, to just make sure you say in your sentence, where you got the information (i.e. — According to Fred Stanley, president of Randolph University, the American academic world is in deep trouble.)

One final note (interesting in that it’s not, apparently, self evident): If you are borrowing exact words from another person, make sure you put quotations marks around those words. Quotation marks are not necessary if you are simply paraphrasing information.