Why do you need to cite?
- To give credit to the person or people who created the idea.
- To enable your readers to locate the sources you are engaging with, so they can read and evaluate them as well.
- To illustrate which person, people, and/or sources you are conversing with.
- To avoid plagiarism.
APA
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition) by Call Number: Snell Reference BF76.7 .P83 2020ISBN: 9781433832161Publication Date: 2019-10-01
MLA
MLA Handbook by Call Number: Snell Library Research Help Desk LB2369 .G53 2016ISBN: 9781603293518Publication Date: 2021-04-22
Chicago
The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) by Call Number: Snell Library Reference Stacks Z253 .U69 2017 / F.W. Olin Reference 1st Floor 808.02 U58c 2017ISBN: 9780226287058Publication Date: 2017-09-05
Citation Management Software
Use citation management software to help you collect and manage your references, import citations for articles and books from databases and the library catalog, and auto-format citations and bibliographies in your papers. The Library supports four programs: EndNote, RefWorks, Mendeley, and Zotero.
- Comparison chart for citation management softwareCompares EndNote X9, RefWorks, Zotero, and Mendeley Desktop.
- EndNoteHelps you manage your bibliography and citations, and is installed onto the computer of your choice. You store your citations offline on your computer, and use a Microsoft Word or Mac Pages plugin to automatically create bibliographies.
- RefWorksHelps you manage your bibliography and citations, and can be accessed from any computer connected to the Internet. You store your citations on the RefWorks website, and use a Microsoft Word plugin to automatically create bibliographies.
- MendeleyA free software that will help you manage your research, annotate PDFs, and format citations. It has both a cloud-based and desktop component. There are also free mobile apps available for both iOS and Android.
- ZoteroA research toolbar for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari (or available as a standalone program) to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. Save a citation of whatever you're viewing on the web to create your own collection of research in one personalized library.
Citing AI-generated content
A variety of guidelines are emerging on how to cite or credit the parts of your work generated by artificial intelligence and large language model tools.
Northeastern offers an Insider's Guide for students (PDF) and an Overview and guide for instructors (PDF) on the responsible use of AI at the University.
Practices and standards for citing and crediting the contribution of AI in your work vary between style guides, so always consult your instructor, advisor, or editor to be sure of expectations for your academic work and research.
- AMA: Acknowledgement of the use of Artificial Intelligence and Language Models (Opens in new window)Guidance from the American Medical Associaton
- APA: How to cite ChatGPT (Opens in new window)From the American Psychological Association style blog
- Chicago: How do you recommend citing content generated by AI? (Opens in new window)From the Chicago Manual of Style
- IEEE How to Cite AI-generated Content (Opens in new window)IEEE style, for engineering and technology.
- MLA: How do I cite generative AI in MLA Style? (Opens in new window)From the Modern Language Association Style website.