7.3 Citation and Referencing

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

Whenever you use someone else's ideas, words, data, or arguments in your academic writing, you must give them proper credit. This is not just a matter of politeness -- it is a fundamental principle of academic integrity. Failing to cite your sources is considered plagiarism, which can result in serious academic consequences.

Citation serves several important purposes: it acknowledges the original author's intellectual contribution, allows readers to locate and verify your sources, strengthens your argument by showing it is grounded in existing research, demonstrates the breadth of your research, and protects you from accusations of plagiarism. In this chapter you will learn why citation is essential, how to format in-text citations in both APA and MLA styles, how to create reference list entries, and how to recognize and avoid different forms of plagiarism. The golden rule throughout is simple: when in doubt, cite.

APA versus MLA

The two most widely used citation styles in English-language academia are APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association). APA style (7th edition) is used primarily in the social sciences, psychology, education, and business. Its in-text format is (Author, Year) -- for example, (Smith, 2023) -- with a page number added for direct quotes: (Smith, 2023, p. 45). Its reference list is titled References. MLA style (9th edition) is used primarily in the humanities, literature, languages, and arts. Its in-text format is (Author Page) -- for example, (Smith 45) -- with no comma between author and page number. Its reference list is titled Works Cited.

The key differences are easy to remember: APA includes the year in the citation and emphasizes the date of publication, while MLA omits the year and emphasizes the author's name. To see them side by side, a paraphrase from a 2021 book by Sarah Johnson would be cited as "(Johnson, 2021)" in APA but "(Johnson 42)" in MLA. A direct quote from page 87 would be "Johnson (2021)... (p. 87)" in APA but "Johnson... (87)" in MLA. For two authors, APA uses an ampersand -- (Brown & Chen, 2019) -- while MLA uses "and": (Brown and Chen 112). For three or more authors, both styles use "et al." from the first citation. In both styles, the period goes after the parenthetical citation, and signal phrases ("Johnson states that...") integrate citations more naturally into your prose. Which to use? Follow your teacher's or institution's guidelines -- in Norway, APA is more common in secondary schools and universities, though both are widely accepted.

Plagiarism and Genuine Paraphrasing

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words, ideas, or work as your own, whether intentionally or not -- and it comes in several forms. Direct plagiarism is copying text word-for-word without quotation marks or citation -- the most blatant form. Mosaic plagiarism (patchwriting) takes phrases from a source and weaves them into your own sentences without quotation marks -- common among students learning to paraphrase. Paraphrase plagiarism restates an author's ideas in your own words but fails to cite the source. Self-plagiarism is submitting your own previous work for a new assignment without permission. And AI-generated plagiarism is submitting text generated by AI tools as your own without disclosure -- a growing concern. To avoid all of these, always cite when you use someone else's ideas (even paraphrased), use quotation marks for borrowed phrases, paraphrase genuinely (changing both the words and the sentence structure), keep track of all sources, disclose AI use, and when in doubt, cite.

The difference between plagiarism and proper paraphrasing becomes clear with an example. Take this original (Smith, 2022, p. 78): "Social media algorithms create echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and limit exposure to diverse perspectives, thereby contributing to political polarization." Attempt 1 -- copying the sentence exactly with no quotation marks or citation -- is direct plagiarism. Attempt 2 -- adding a citation but keeping most of the sentence structure and key phrases, swapping only a few words ("strengthen" for "reinforce") -- is mosaic plagiarism / patchwriting, because genuine paraphrasing requires more than word-swapping. Attempt 3 is a correct paraphrase: "According to Smith (2022), the design of social media platforms tends to create insulated information environments where users primarily encounter content that aligns with their pre-existing views, a phenomenon that researchers have linked to increasing divisions in political discourse (p. 78)." Here the idea is fully restated in the writer's own words and sentence structure, with a proper citation -- the original meaning is preserved but the expression is entirely new. That is the standard to aim for.

Summary

Citation is mandatory whenever you use someone else's ideas, words, or data -- whether quoting or paraphrasing -- because it upholds academic integrity and protects you from plagiarism. The two major styles differ in format: APA uses (Author, Year) and dominates the social sciences, while MLA uses (Author Page) and dominates the humanities, with a References or Works Cited page giving full details. Plagiarism takes many forms -- direct copying, mosaic plagiarism (patchwriting), paraphrase without citation, self-plagiarism, and undisclosed AI-generated content. Genuine paraphrasing means restating ideas in entirely your own words and sentence structure, with a proper citation -- not merely swapping a few words. The golden rule holds throughout: when in doubt, cite.