Transmitting Ideas

Ideas about using non-violent resistance to enact change have passed from person to person.

Thoreau	Gandhi	King

When you research a topic you may use information from articles, books, or the Web to support your ideas. However, you must credit the original authors of these sources by citing them.

Citing is the process of gving credit to the sources you used to write your essay or complete your assignment. To cite also means that you state where you found the information so that others can find the exact item again. In this way we build upon the ideas and knowledge of other people. Citations can be located in the text or at the end of the work in a bibliography.

Tips for researching and citing:

Take clear, accurate notes about where you found specific ideas.
Write down the complete citation information for each item you use.
Use quotation marks when directly stating another person's words.
Always credit original authors for their information and ideas
Statistics should also be cited

Images: ©Vithalbhai Jhaveri/GandhiServe, Courtesy of The Thoreau Society, Lincoln, MA, MLK courtesy WMU Archives & Regional History.

This page adapted from Module 6 of Searchpath © 2001-2003, Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the
SearchPath Open Publication License