Primary Source Guide
Citation Guides
- Chicago Manual of Style This link opens in a new windowThe widely-used citation and style guide for scholarly writing.Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age
Call Number: UM Reference ZA4375 .H327 2010Publication Date: 2010Contains information on finding, evaluating, and citing sources for humanities, social sciences, history, and sciences.
Click to view online version.The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism [electronic resource] by Colin Neville
Call Number: FC E-Resources E-Book PN171.F56 N48 2010ebISBN: 9780335241033Publication Date: 2010Provides comprehensive coverage of all major citation styles.
Click to view e-book.
Why Cite Sources?
See more Kimbel Library instruction videos here: http://www.coastal.edu/library/videos/
Why Cite Sources?
Providing information about where sources were found and how they were accessed is an essential part of research. These citations:
- Give credit to the creators of the information you use (whether you quote them or not)
- Allows others to locate the materials you consulted, gives evidence of your research process
- Helps you avoid plagiarizing
Citations include a basic set of elements that describe your source -- author, title of document, title of the book or website, name of editor or author of the book, year of publication, and page numbers. Different style formats (most commonly Chicago, MLA and APA) dictate how this information should be arranged, making it easier for readers to decode it later.
Managing Sources
- RefWorks This link opens in a new windowDue to budget pressure, declining use, and increasing subscription cost, RefWorks was cancelled as July 31, 2021.
This record points to our Citation Managers guide where you can find help with Zotero and Mendeley.
Considerations that went into this decision include:
o Declining usage of RefWorks and continuing cost increases;
o Availability of free alternative citation management tools such as Zotero and Mendeley available to students, faculty, and researchers.
- ZoteroA free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources.
- Last Updated: Feb 5, 2025 5:27 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.umass.edu/primarysource
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