It is important to cite your sources in order to:
All citations should include the same basic information: author, article title, source title, volume and issue, publication date, and page number(s).
Citations should be formatted according to the specific citation style, determined by your academic discipline or your professor. Purdue OWL is a good resource for formatting your citations and papers, and can also be used to double-check the format of citations retrieved from databases.
A citation manager will help you keep track of resources (books, articles, images -- anything!) and will also help you make a bibliography in any citation format. Citation managers will keep you organized and can save you a lot of time.
See the research guide "Citation Tools" for more in-depth information on citation management, formatting a citation, and how to get started using citation management software.
There are a few citation managers to choose from, including:
Any source in your academic papers should include citations -- not just the ones that are scholarly! Here are some quick rules for citing social media sources using MLA 8:
Works cited: Last name, first name of the individual/organization. "Text from Facebook post." Facebook. Date posted, time posted, URL.
In-text citation: (Author's Last Name or Account Name)
Works cited: Last name, first name, or username of the individual/organization. "Photo title or description.* Instagram. Date photo was published, URL.
In-text citation: (@username)
*If there is no title or description, describe the image to the best of your ability.
Works cited: Last name, first name, or username of the individual/organization. "Thread title." Reddit. Date posted, time posted, URL.
In-text citation: (@username)
Works cited: @username. "Text from tweet." Twitter. Date posted, time posted, URL.
In-text citation: (@username)
YouTube
Works cited: Last name, first name, or username of the individual/organization. "Title of video." YouTube. Date posted, URL.
In-text citation: (Author's Last Name or Account Name)