Citation Guidelines
What citation style does Valar use?
Valar uses the Chicago Manual of Style as a style guide for citations—we prefer that students use the Author/Date format with in-text citations and a works cited list.
The Chicago Manual of Style’s website has a Quick Guide that includes sample citations for reference. There is also this Frequently Asked Questions page that has helpful information on Chicago-style basics, including paper formatting and more.
Our librarian, Kristina, has also put together a one-minute explainer on citations.
How do I know if I am citing my sources correctly?
The first step to confirming that you're citing sources correctly is to refer back to the Chicago Manual of Style’s Citation Guide.
You can also review Purdue University’s Avoiding Plagiarism or Ohio University’s Plagiarism FAQs articles for information on what does and does not need to be cited and other best practices. Finally, always double-check your references to make sure that the spelling, page numbers, and other key information is correct.
What exactly needs to be cited?
You need to cite anything that does not originate from your own work. According to Purdue University, this includes, but is not limited to:
- Words or ideas presented in a magazine, book, newspaper, song, TV program, movie, website, computer program, letter, advertisement, or any other medium;
- Information you gain through interviewing or conversing with another person, face to face, over the phone, or in writing;
- When you copy the exact words or a unique phrase of someone else (even when it’s a blog, a reference article, or another student)
- When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, pictures, or other visual materials;
- When you reuse or repost any digital media, including images, audio, video, or other media.
- Text generated by ChatGPT or another LLM—for more on the conventions used to cite AI, check out this article.
If I re-word what my sources are saying, do I still need to cite them?
Yes, you do need to cite paraphrased or summarized ideas. If the idea did not originally come from you, it must be cited.
You do still need to cite works that are publicly available, whether or not they exist in the public domain.
Do I have to cite charts, photos, and other visual components? How?
Yes, you must cite any material you use that is not made or written by you. This includes diagrams, charts, photographs, and illustrations. For instructions on how to cite visual materials, please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style’s article on how to cite an image.
Is there anything I do not need to cite?
Yes! Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab states that you do not have to cite when you are:
- Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, you own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject;
- Writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments;
- Using your own artwork, digital photographs, video, audio, etc.;
- Using “common knowledge,” or things like folklore, common sense observations, myths, urban legends, and historical events. Please note that this list does not include historical documents;
- Using generally-accepted facts (e.g., the earth is round) including facts that are accepted within particular discourse in communities (e.g., in the field of investing, “the market is unpredictable” is a generally-accepted fact.
How does Valar define plagiarism?
We define plagiarism and define our plagiarism policy here on our Plagiarism FAQ page.
I have more questions!
You can find a list of helpful sites below. If more questions arise, please reach out to support@valar.quantic.edu for assistance.
Helpful Sites
Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide
Chicago Manual of Style-For Students
Ohio University's Plagiarism FAQs