Why it’s important to cite sources
Citing literature is important for two reasons. First, you always want to make sure that you are giving credit for the work that you are using to write your paper and failing to do so can result in an academic dishonesty investigation. Scholarship is cumulative and you have a responsibility to present the work of those who have come before. Second, citations are a form of shorthand for writers and academics. Citing work cues the reader into the argument that you are trying to make and draw upon in your essay. Properly using and citing resources can improve your writing.
Source: International Studies Quarterly, Volume 62, Issue 2, June 2018, Pages 245–259, https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqy002
For example, look at this citation network of international relations scholars. This measures when authors are cited in the same paper. As you can see, you can learn a lot about an author’s approach from the work that they cite. For example, when you cite a scholar in the dark blue color, you’re telling the reader that you are making a constructivist argument about the role of ideas and the creation of national interests. Try to think about citations as an important way to give credit, and also a way to inform your audience about your intentions and the work that you are engaging with.
For a full explanation of using sources and how to avoid plagiarism, please refer to the Harvard College Writing Program. This website has great tips for how to keep your citations clear and when it is necessary to cite sources.
Common knowledge
One important thing to know is when a statement is common knowledge, and when a statement has to cite a source. Knowing when something is common knowledge can help you understand when you need to cite a source. However, try to err on the side of citing something if you are unsure.
Widely known facts
Widely known scientific and historical facts do not have to be cited. For example, the dates of a presidency or the name of a leader of a country.
Widely held beliefs
Some interpretations or opinions (rather than facts) are so widely held that they are common knowledge and do not need to be cited. Be careful with this category of common knowledge - when you enter an academic debate there are often authors who argue multiple sides.
Are these statements common knowledge?
+ Cybersecurity is a problem that has gained international attention.
This is a case of common knowledge due to the fact it is a widely held belief.
+ To date, no cybersecurity attack has changed the balance of power.
This is not common knowledge, but something that some authors argue.
+ The executive branch is the most powerful branch of the U.S. government.
This is not common knowledge, but something that some authors argue.
+ The president is the commander in chief.
This is a case of common knowledge because it is a commonly known fact.
How to cite sources in government classes
There are a number of different formats that you can use to cite sources. Sometimes professors will tell you what format they want, in which case you should defer to them. If not, the most important thing is that you are consistent in how you format your citations. There are a lot of different formats and methods that you can use to cite sources. The American Political Science Association uses a format very similar to the Chicago Manual of Style. This means using parenthetical citations in text and following the format guidelines from the manual of style.
If you are going to be writing longer papers, or think that you may return to the subject area again, we recommend using a citation management tool. Some popular ones include Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley. These have a lot of advantages over creating new citations each time you write a paper. Many students do not realize the amount of time they can save by using these programs.
Zotero is a free software with a premium service that is available to all Harvard students. It has some nice features, including a browser plugin that allows you to directly download citations into the program, many different citation formats, sharing capability, and the ability to import citations directly into MS Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Latex.
Additional Resources
Using Zotero
Let’s walk through how you would create a bibliography from papers you’re reading in class using a citation management tool.