Berkeley Changemaker: Labor Research for Action and Policy (Labor RAP) (Spring 2023)

Citing Sources

Citations are often daunting, but don't be discouraged!

For support using Zotero, sign up for a basic or advanced workshop offered in February and March 2023.

While citations can feel daunting, it is important to understand how and when to cite your sources and how citations can be a practice in reciprocity and collective knowledge building. 

When quoting or basing your ideas on another person's work, such as a book, article, or interview, you must document the source you used. Credit should also be given in cases where you are not quoting, but using ideas or terminology from another work as a basis for your original contributions. As authors, we also expect others to cite our work and provide information to other researchers and our readers about where we have drawn our conclusions and where to look for additional information. 

In their article Citation Matters: Mobilizing the Politics of Citation toward a Practice of ‘Conscientious Engagement', Carrie Mott and Daniel Cockayne (2017) write:

Citation thought conscientiously can also be a feminist and anti-racist technology of resistance that demonstrates engagement with those authors and voices we want to carry forward.

We can both "forage" the bibliographies of works we read for traces of scholarship as well as leave traces for future readers. To explore an example of citational activism, visit the Cite Black Women Collective website.

The UCB Library Guide to Citing Your Sources discusses why you should cite your sources and links to campus resources about plagiarism.  It also includes links to guides for frequently used citation styles.  Also:

• MLA handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th edition. New York : Modern Language Association of America, 2009.
  Doe Reference Reference Hall LB2369 .G53 2009
  Main Gardner Stacks LB2369 .G53 2009
  Many older editions available throughout the UCB libraries.
• The Chicago Manual of Style (UCB-only access)
  15th ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2003. Searchable, online version of the Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition).
  Many print editions available throughout the UCB Libraries.
• Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More (UCB-only access) Charles Lipson. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2006.
  Many print editions throughout the libraries.
• Columbia Guide to Online Style (UCB-only access)
  Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor. 2nd ed. NY: Columbia Univ. Press. 2006.
  Many print editions throughout the UCB libraries.

Citation management tools help you manage your research, collect and cite sources, organize and store your PDFs, and create bibliographies in a variety of citation styles.  Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, but all are easier than doing it by hand!

1. Zotero: A free plug-in for the Firefox browser: keeps copies of what you find on the web, permits tagging, notation, full text searching of your library of resources, works with Word, and has a free web backup service. Zotero is also available as a stand-alone application that syncs with Chrome and Safari, or as a bookmarklet for mobile browsers.
   • Zotero help from the UCB Libraries
   • Zotero help from zotero.org
2. RefWorks - web-based and free for UC Berkeley users. It allows you to create your own database by importing references and using them for footnotes and bibliographies, then works with Word to help you format references and a bibliography for your paper. Use the RefWorks New User Form to sign up.
   • RefWorks help from the UCB Libraries
   • RefWorks help from RefWorks
3. EndNote: Desktop software for managing your references and formatting bibliographies. You can purchase EndNote from the Cal Student Store. 

Tip: After creating a bibliography with a citation management tool, it's always good to double check the formatting; sometimes the software doesn't get it quite right.