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Ideas:

anatomy of a citation: author, date, title, source

How to cite common business sources and how to cite our sources

why do we cite - tracing information back

test your knowledge quiz?

What is the purpose of citation?

There are three parts to attributing your work:

1. The in-text citation

2. The full reference

3. The original source.

When you quote a source or use a fact in your paper or presentation, you want anyone reading it to be able to find the source. Whether its a brilliant book they want to read or a statistic they want to double-check, the ultimate goal of attributing works you use is for the reader to easily and quickly find the original. 

So you quote a statistic in your paper or report, with an in-text citation. That in-text citation leads to an entry in the reference list. Then, the reference list gives enough information to find the original source. 

In Text Citation --> Reference List --> Original Source

Referencing has other benefits, too:

1. It's ethical, giving credit to the original author. 

2. It adds credence and weight to your argument. 

3. It is your backup, if someone questions your sources or conclusions. 

Parts of a reference

Parts of a reference:

1) Author - who made this? Sometimes it is an individual person, sometimes it is a group (governmental agency or company)

2) Date - when was it made? 

3) Title - what is it called? You don't want your readers Googling "article about Hershey selling caramel business" 

4) Source - who published it? This can be a book publisher, a website, an academic journal, a magazine, a blog post, etc.

If you include all that information, the reader can usually follow the trail to the original source. 

NOTES:

Sometimes, when a company makes a report, a press release, or a statement on their website,