Jake complained about gathering source details while writing a paper. He asked why are they needed? I explained this to him below.
Whenever you use a source in a paper, like for this Photography class, and share a quote or idea from someone, you need to provide an attribution, which means to give the name of the authors, title, source, etc. Not giving credit for using someone else's words or thoughts is unethical and is called Plagiarism. How would you like it, if someone copied and used your own writing and then claimed credit for it?
The academic way of giving attribution is to provide Citations. They indicate the sources. There are specific ways of making citations, and different organizations have standards, such as MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychology Association), and a few others. Ask your teacher what style he or she prefers and then be consistent. At Salt Lake Community College most classes are using either MLA style or APA style citations and for their writing format style for papers.
Some information about Citations are in the other more basic SLCC Library Photography guide: Writing Assistance. Another good place is Purdue's Online Writing Center (OWL). A student can also check the SLCC Student Writing Center in person or online to get specific help.
Most Library databases have built- in citation tools (linked to the item results) which makes formatting your items a breeze. Citations tools can vary by database. Look for where it says "Cite" or "Citation." Then choose the style needed. These database-generated citations may not be entirely 100% accurate, so it's a good idea to compare them with a guide or to get help with them before submitting your paper.
After using them in his paper, Jake understood why reference citations were needed. He found they supported his information and made it more credible.
