Why Citations are Important
In science communication, include citations to external and reliable sources in order to:
Direct Quotation, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
There are certain conventions in science writing that make it a little different from other academic and non-academic writing:
See KPU Library's guide to the 7th edition of APA Style for details on how to correctly cite sources in your writing.
The short video below, from the American Psychological Associaton, outlines some of the basics.
For your lab reports you may be citing sources from government websites and technical publications.
NOTE: See the Title section of The BC Environmental Laboratory Manual, 2023 edition, for publication details (note author)
Activity:
We'll use this Google Doc to practice making a few references to various types of sources you're most likely to use in your reports.
If you have used generative AI to help find sources for your assignment, you will need to go the extra step and verify that they actually exist. You've probably heard about "hallucinations" and fake sources that might appear in the search results of some generative AI tools. In some cases, the journals themselves may be legitimate, but the articles or authors don't exist.
Be suspicious! It is up to you to ensure that the sources you include in your assignment exist and are credible!
If you cite sources that don't exist, you will be in violation of KPU's policy on Academic Integrity.
1. If the article citation includes a DOI, check to make sure it leads to an article on a journal or publisher's platform.
2. Put the entire title of a book or article into the Library's Summon search.
3. Copy the entire title into Google Scholar.
Your instructor will offer guidelines as to the acceptable use of Artificial Intelligence for your course assignments. Refer to Academic Integrity's infographic on ChatGPT and Other AI Tools at KPU. Or review KPU Library's guidelines on our Artificial Intelligence guide.
Zotero is a free browser tool that keeps track of your articles and webpages, and creates citations in several formats. Sign up for a free account, and your personal library will be accessible from any computer with an internet connection.
For help learning how to use Zotero, please visit the library's Zotero guide.