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A number of citation styles are used at Lakeland College, including: APA, MLA and Chicago. Environmental Sciences has its own referencing guide.
Be sure to check with your instructor about the citation style you should use for your assignments.
Related to citing sources is plagiarism. Paraphrasing is fine, quoting and citing are fine but using exact words without citing the source is plagiarism. Check out understanding plagiarism and the tools and tips to avoid that major mistake.
APA Style
APA Style
- APA Citation Style Quick Guide: produced by librarians at the University of Alberta, Augustana
- For further information, please refer to the APA website or consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association available at the library.
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) - BF 76.7 P83 2010 REF
- APA Style Guide to Electronic References - BF 76.7 C65 2007 REF (Vermilion)
Chicago Style
Chicago Style
- The Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.) - PN 147 C54 2011 REF (Lloydminster)
- The Chicago Manual of Style Online: Citation Quick Guide
MLA Style
MLA Style
- MLA Citation Style (8th ed.): produced by Lakeland College Library
- MLA Handbook (8th ed.) - LB 2369 G53 2016 (Lloydminster): Two copies are available at the Lloydminster campus library.
Environmental Sciences Literature Referencing Guide
Environmental Sciences Literature Referencing Guide
Environmental science students follow the style adopted by the Rangeland Ecology and Management journal. The Environmental Sciences Literature Referencing Guide was compiled by communication instructors. It's the citation guide for all environmental sciences programs.
Plagiarism - what is it
Plagiarism - what is it
Using the work of others without giving credit to your source is considered plagiarism.
Plagiarism is one of most serious academic offenses you can commit at college. If you’re caught, it will result (at least) in a zero on the assignment containing the plagiarism, or (at worst) you can be expelled from the school! It doesn’t matter if the plagiarism was intentional or not.
Why is plagiarism so bad? Writers, scientists, inventors and others work hard to create new ideas, knowledge and things. If anyone can come along and take their work and pass it off as their own without giving credit where it is due, it’s stealing their intellectual property. Our school and our society depend on honesty and fairness, so rules against plagiarism are universal, strict and are enforced.
Why is plagiarism so bad? Writers, scientists, inventors and others work hard to create new ideas, knowledge and things. If anyone can come along and take their work and pass it off as their own without giving credit where it is due, it’s stealing their intellectual property. Our school and our society depend on honesty and fairness, so rules against plagiarism are universal, strict and are enforced.
Details of Lakeland College policy on plagiarism and academic dishonesty can be found in Student Rights and Responsibilities.
One way to quickly check your paper is by using Grammarly. Set up your free account with your Lakeland edu email address.
Watch Plagiarism Rap (Cite Your Sources) about citing sources.
Used with permission from the University of Alberta.
How to avoid plagiarism
How to avoid plagiarism
10 ways to avoid plagiarism in your papers
- Understand what Plagiarism is - Taking and using other people’s ideas, thoughts, pictures, writings, inventions, etc. as your own. If you don’t cite it, it’s assumed to be your own work, even if you just forgot.
- Understand paraphrasing - Put ideas into your own words, without changing the author’s intention, and make sure you give credit with both an in-text citation and an entry in your reference list.
- Manage your time - Don’t leave your paper until the last minute—rushing can lead to forgotten citations. Start well ahead of the due date so you can do your citations properly.
- Take careful notes - It’s easy to accidentally plagiarize if you don’t keep accurate notes as you research your paper. Every time you write ANYTHING down, jot down where the idea came from, so you’re ready to cite it later if you do use it.
- Use citation style guides - Ask your instructor what style is required (APA, MLA), and then get the correct style guide from the library. The full guide has examples of almost all the possible sources you could use, from books to websites, even radio shows.
- Copy and paste with caution - Research on the internet has made it easy to copy and paste, and then forget to cite. Make it a practice to never copy and paste anything without also copying the URL (web address) and date that you retrieved the information.
- Understand common knowledge - You don’t have to cite “common knowledge”, but what’s “common”? If you read the information somewhere, cite it.
- Keep hard or electronic copies of all sources - When you finalize your reference list, it’s way easier to check for all the details from a copy than having to look up the source all over again.
- Manage your stress - One of the top reasons students give for plagiarism is stress. They feel overwhelmed, and end up plagiarizing either accidentally or intentionally. The consequences are still the same, so don’t risk it. If you find yourself overwhelmed, seek help or ask for an extension.
- When in doubt, always ask - If you have any questions about citations, ask your instructor, library staff or the teaching commons. Better to be sure than to unintentionally plagiarize.