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Citation Tools

All about the Chicago or Turabian style of writing and formatting.

Citation & Writing Help

Citation & Writing Help Options

The TNU Writing Center - on Trevecca SharePoint

For Undergraduate Students

Provides undergraduate students with help on correct citation formatting and any aspect of their writing, from specific assignments to general writing skills.  Choose the type of tutoring service you need to request an appointment - Click now to open the URL to make a request.

For Non-Traditional/Graduate (GRAE) Student Writing Services

Although the focus of the programs provided by the Academic Services office is on traditional undergraduate students, services provided through the Writing Center are available to all students [traditional undergraduates as well as graduate and adult education (GRAE) students].  Click now to open the URL for how to request these services.   

Tutor.com 

Tutor.com provides online 24/7, on-demand, 1-to-1 tutoring and homework help in more than 250 subjects. No matter where you are in the writing process, our rigorously vetted, expert writing tutors can provide the support you need whenever you need it. Upload Your Writing Files and Receive Feedback within a Day. Get expert feedback on elements such as grammar, punctuation, structure, flow, theme development, and citations. The expert tutors at Tutor.com can help you work through a tough homework problem, improve your writing skills, study for a test, review a difficult concept, and so much more!

To access Tutor.com, visit https://trevecca.insructure.com. Use your Trevecca login to access Canvas. Tutor.com is located within your course on the left-hand menu under "Tutor.com."

What is the Chicago Style?

This guide is based on the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), 17th Edition, published in 2017. Following the Notes & Bibliography system.

The Chicago referencing style is in a footnote form that uses a numbered system.

This enables the reader to see the full bibliographic details of the source on the page where the reference is made. The complete list of resources used (bibliography) is given at the end of the work.

 

The CMOS has two systems for layout and presentation:

  • Notes & Bibliography uses a system of notes (footnotes or endnotes) and a bibliography. It is preferred for publications in literature, history, and arts.
  • Author-Date: uses in-text author-date citations and a reference list. It is preferred for publications in sciences and social sciences.
This guide presents the Notes & Bibliography Chicago Manual of Style 

A note of clarification:

  • Bibliography:
    • Heading used for a Notes & Bibliography (NB) formatted paper.
    • All the literature read on a subject but not necessarily cited in the text
    • The literature is cited in the text.
  • Reference list:
    • Not used for an NB formatted paper. But appropriate for an Author/Date formatted paper.
    • All the sources are cited in the text with all bibliographical information.

Why should you cite sources? 

  • To acknowledge other author's ideas that have influenced your work or that you have adapted to your work.
  • To support the arguments in your text.
  • To protect the 'intellectual property' of the original author.
  • To provide the readers with full bibliographic details about the works cited.
  • To avoid accusations of plagiarism.
  • To demonstrate your critical thinking skills and your ability to analyze complex information.

How do you cite sources? 

In academic writing, it is important that you cite every idea, information, or data that you have borrowed or derived from another text. In this way, you give recognition to the original author and avoid plagiarism.

Note: There are several ways which you can use to integrate the ideas of others within your text.

  • By direct quotation: directly taking the words of another author and identifying them in your text with quotation marks.
  • By paraphrasing: putting the ideas into your own words, restating their meaning, in more detail.
  • By summarizing: writing an overview of the original text by using your own words, in less detail than paraphrasing.

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