Evaluating and citing information
Anytime you use the words, images, data, or ideas of an author or creator, you must provide a citation to clearly show where you found that information. Attribution of ideas through citation is necessary to ensure that you do not commit plagiarism. Citations also allow you to show that you are aware of key ideas and concepts within your area of study and how your work fits into an existing academic conversation.
Evaluating your sources
Whether you are using scholarly sources, news pieces, or websites, you need to be aware of the bias these sources may have and be able to evaluate where they are getting their information. To evaluate your results in the library see our Evaluating your results page. For academic sources, have a look at our Peer-review guide to learn more about scholarly publishing. It’s important to note that peer-review is not the only way to get reliable information, and often excludes particular voices. For information on evaluating less traditional sources see our Evaluating Internet sources guide.
Citing your sources
AU Library’s Guide to Citation Style: This guide from AU Library provides information on APA, Chicago/Turabian, MLA, and many other citation styles.
Citation Management Guide: This guide provides you with information about how to use the popular citation management tools Mendeley and Zotero.
Open sources for projects
Creative Commons and Open Resources Guide: This guide explains Creative Commons and open resources, and points you in the direction of Creative Commons and open collections you can find online.
Academic misconduct
For more information on plagiarism, please see AU's Academic Misconduct Policy and watch the Academic Integrity guide.
Updated July 27, 2023 by Digital & Web Operations (web_services@athabascau.ca)