Library staff are available to help students understand the general principles and basic formatting rules of the citation styles used most commonly in courses. However, students are ultimately responsible for upholding UMass Global's Code of Conduct by using research material in an ethical manner. When seeking help from a librarian for citation and attribution, students should be aware of the following:
- Students must know what citation style they are required to use for each project. This can change depending upon the subject and course instructor. Library staff cannot offer accurate advice without this information. This information is often found on your syllabus or assignment prompt.
- Students must proofread their own work for accuracy and adherence to the correct citation style. Library staff cannot engage in line-by-line editing of papers or projects.
- Students must keep track of their own research material and know what sources they are quoting or paraphrasing, as well as when another’s work is consulted in the body of a research paper.
Library staff can help by:
- Explaining the general rules of attribution and the logic of any citation format.
- Providing samples of the required citation style.
- Pointing out unique elements of each citation style.
- Searching for patterns of inadequate attribution and/or patterns of error in a bibliography or works cited list and make suggestions for improvement.
- Helping students construct citations for items that do not fit into predetermined categories.
- Teaching students how to use citation management and citing software such as Zotero.
More information about citing can be found on the Citing Sources guide.