LibGuides: Human Rights Research Guide: Citing Sources

Why is Citation Important?

Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you must cite the source.

Your citations are like your paper's family tree. They show the difference between the ideas of others that you are responding to, and your own originality. Citation helps to clearly document the research you have done on your topic, and is very useful as you evaluate evidence and respond to the work of others.

Citations:

Give credit where credit is due
Allow your readers to verify your research
Help your readers situate your ideas within a scholarly conversation
Allow you to strengthen your argument by properly introducing evidence
Help you avoid plagiarism

If you have any questions about citations, you can use the Ask a Librarian Chat for help.

Understanding Citations

These pages provide more information on citations, integrating sources into your paper, and how to read citations.

Understand Citations
When to cite, and why citation is important.
Integrating Sources
When and how to quote, paraphrase, and summarize
Reading Citations
How to interpret book, article, and book chapter citations

ChatGPT & Other Generative AI Tools

Confirm with your instructor if the use of ChatGPT or other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is allowed for your assignment.

When an assignment allows AI tools to be cited, you must cite any AI-generated material that informed you work. Using an AI tool to generate content without proper attribution qualifies as academic dishonesty.

Citing generative AI content for specific referencing styles

For many referencing styles there are no specific guidelines for citing generative AI. It is recommended to base the citation for generative AI content on the reference style for personal communication or correspondence; content from generative AI is a nonrecoverable source as it can't be retrieved or linked.

ChatGPT and AI tools are not knowledge creation tools. At best, they are unreliable, and can produce incorrect or biased information. It is your responsibility to always verify information obtained from an AI tool before including it in your work.

Information about using and referencing ChatGPT and other generative AI tools is still being developed and will continue to be updated.

Online Citation Tools

Citation Tools in Databases

When you're using the General Search or browsing library databases, keep an eye out for buttons like these. They will create a citation for you to use! Always check that a generated citation is correct.

Zoterobib
If you need to create just a few citations, we recommend Zoterobib. ZoteroBib is a free, fast citation generator that is similar to (but more accurate and reliable than) tools such as EasyBib and NoodleTools.
This tool provides very quick assistance in creating citations; it does not have the same functionality as the Zotero application.

If you need more functionality, e.g., you are working on a longer-term project, need to create a long bibliography, want to build a library to use across multiple projects, or want to share citations with others, we recommend looking at the Citation Management Tools page on this guide.

Remember: It is always your responsibility to double-check that your citation is accurate!

ZoteroBib
Create references and in-text citations on the fly in thousands of difference citation styles. As simple to use as EasyBib!
Citation Management Tools
Learn about the citation management tools supported at UConn and which one may be right for you. For in-depth information on the tool you choose (or already use), click on RefWorks, Zotero, or Legacy RefWorks in the left-hand navigation on this guide.