Helping Students Learn to Cite…It’s No Easy Task!

As a social studies teacher, I often struggle with students claiming that they do not know how to cite sources, or reference sources in essays and research papers. I KNOW my students have been taught how to cite sources in their English classes. I KNOW they can do this, so why do they claim they can’t? I’m often told that “this isn’t English” or “this is a history class!” I’m well aware of the content I teach, however, I still require them to transfer the skills they learn in their English classes to my class!

I teach mainly dual credit courses, therefore I require my students to read and write at a college level. This includes properly citing information they use in their writing, even IF THEY DO NOT QUOTE A SOURCE DIRECTLY!

Can you tell this issue frustrates me?! 🙂

Below are some resources I use with my students. I hope you find them useful in helping your students cite!

EasyBib

• This is probably the most popular tool  for citing information. Simply type in the format of the resource, include information like page numbers, and click “Create Citation.” It’s as easy as that! Remember the days when we had to record all of this information on note cards? And reference multiple guides to make sure the periods and parentheses were in the right place? Ahhh the glory days 😉

BibMe

• I personally find this tool to be easier than EasyBib. BibMe is totally free…it doesn’t matter if you are using MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian style. They do have a link where users can donate through PayPal, but you can use this source without doing so.
• The totally free aspect is most appealing to me. As a graduate student who was blessed with requirements to use Turabian and Chicago styles (in the same class!!), I loved that I could access citing resources for these styles for FREE using BibMe!

Purdue OWL

• If you require your students to actually LEARN how to cite their resources (kudos to you!), then the Purude OWL is a fantastic resource. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides resources for created Work Cited and References pages using MLA, APA, and Chicago style. The OWL provides specific information about parenthetical (in text) citations, which is desperately needed in my classroom! Resources are provided for teachers, as well as information about drafting letters, completing college applications, and the list goes on and on! 
• This is truly an awesome source for students and teachers alike. I hope you check it out!