REL/ASIA 172: Tibetan Buddhism and Society

When asked why they should cite their sources, many students reply, "So I don't get accused of plagiarizing." This is important, but there are other good reasons as well:

• To build a foundation for your paper. Breakthroughs in scholarship typically build on earlier, groundbreaking work of others. Newton said: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." What writings inspire you?
• To make your arguments more credible. For example, if you are writing about a disease, using statistics from a reputable source like the World Health Organization or Centers for Disease Control (CDC) can lead your reader to trust your argument more. 
• To show you've done your homework,  both literally and in the sense of backing up your arguments.  Citing the work of leading scholars on your topic shows you have done your research. It shows you know your topic well, and you are familiar with major debates and theories.
• To allow your readers to find the sources for themselves.  Citing sources *within* your paper ("in-text citations") inform your reader what sources relate to parts of your argument. The full citation at the end of your paper helps your reader locate the sources.
• To preserve the reputation and rigor of your institution. Help to uphold Lehigh's high academic standards.

• Don't procrastinate.  Students who rush their work can make careless mistakes, such as forgetting to include a particular citation, or not having all the information needed for documentation.  Students under pressure may also make poor choices, such as not documenting sources and hoping the professor won't notice.  Believe us- your professor will notice, and you won't like the long-term consequences.
• Take careful notes.  Be very clear in your notes whether you are writing down word-for-word what you found somewhere else, recording your own ideas, paraphrasing, or summarizing.  Record all the information you will need to create your citations.
• Use a citation tool.  Many databases provide automatically generated citations, just be sure to double check them.  Lehigh also supports ZoteroBib, Zotero, and RefWorks.
• Cite your sources. Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or share an unusual fact, tell your reader where the information came from.
• Get comfortable with the required citation style.  Some of the  commonly used citation styles on our campus are APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian.  While they share many similarities, they also have differing requirements in regards to what and when to cite.
• Ask your professor. If you're not sure about citing something, check with your instructor. Ultimately, she will be the one grading your assigment- or bringing you up on plagiarism charges.