Final answer:
In academic writing, one must cite all sources of information, data, or ideas that are not originally theirs or common knowledge. This includes both internal in-text citations and external citations on a Works Cited or References page. Proper citation is essential to maintain credibility and avoid plagiarism.
Step-by-step explanation:
When it comes to academic writing, you must cite any information, data, or ideas that are not your own original work. This includes direct quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of content from books, academic papers, articles from reputable newspapers, magazines, professional journals, reputable websites, and government sources. Citations are necessary to give credit to the original authors and to strengthen the credibility of your own work. Important aspects of citation include both the internal citations within the text, which are brief references, and the external citations that are detailed entries on a Works Cited or References page.
To avoid plagiarism, citations must be accurate and follow the appropriate documentation style, such as MLA or APA. A caveat to remember is that you do not need to cite common knowledge—information that is generally known by most people or easily verified. However, specific data, statistics, and non-obvious information will always require proper attribution. Furthermore, each in-text citation should correspond to a detailed entry in the Works Cited or References page to allow readers to find the original material easily.