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MGT 301 Sources for a Formal Business Report, Reber, spring 2025: Documenting/Citing

Documenting Research

What does it mean to "document research"?

- Keeping track of the finding tools (databases, indexes) you use to find information

- Keeping track of the strategies used within those finding tools (databases, indexes) to find information

- Keeping track of the information you found in those sources using those strategies

- Keeping track of the information sources used in your paper

Citing Sources

Researchers cite the sources of information used in their research.

Citing sources means acknowledging that you were not the original source of that information.

Citing sources means providing the necessary information about your sources so that your readers can go consult the very same sources that you consulted.

Murphy Library maintains a Library Guide to Citing Sources:

This class uses APA style: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association : the official guide to APA style

APA citation consists of in-text citations and a reference list at the end of the paper.  All sources you used are listed in the reference list.  All in-text citations refer to an entry in the list of references.

Many tools can automatically format reference list citations in APA format, including Search@UW and many library databases.

One of many tools that will offer a citation format for any individual source is zoterobib.  zoterobib also shows you how to form an in-text citation for the same source.

If you have MANY sources to track, and eventually include in your list of references in a large research paper, Zotero is the ultimate tool for both keeping track of your sources as well as forming your reference list.

 

More information from APA about in-text citations: