Carroll Community College

Why do I need to cite my sources?

The purpose of citing sources of information in your paper or presentation is to identify the origin of the ideas, quotations, illustrations, etc. in your work. Citing sources also enables another reader to find the source itself.

What is plagiarism?

If you do not give proper credit to the sources of the ideas and quotations of others in your work, you are plagiarizing the information. Click on the link for an explanation of plagiarism .

How do I document my sources?

Your sources must be carefully documented in a bibliography which follows an established format. Carroll Community College (Carroll) instructors normally require students to use one of two formats for documenting their sources: Modern Language Association (MLA) style or American Psychological Association (APA) style. MLA style is used in courses in the humanities while APA style is normally used in science and social science courses.

Where can I get help with citations?

Carroll's Library has provided several resources to help you with creating your bibliographies: guides to each style in print or online, sample papers in each style, and software called NoodleBib. For assistance please call 410-386-8340 or e-mail ref_desk@carrollcc.edu .

What is NoodleBib?

NoodleBib is a software package which helps you format bibliographies in MLA or APA style. To use NoodleBib for the first time, you must create a free account (folder). NoodleBib will ask you to carefully identify the type of source that your are using and then ask you questions about the source. It will then format each source citation. You can save your bibliography to work on later, and multiple bibliographies can be saved in your folder. You can also e-mail the bibliography to yourself or convert your bibliography into a Word document. 
View the Citing Sources page for more information about using NoodleBib.