Library Resources for International Students

What is a citation style?

A citation style is a set of guidelines for formatting and organizing citations. The information necessary for a citation and the order the information appears in will depend on the style you use. There are many different citation styles to suit different purposes.

How do I choose a citation style?

At the CIA, instructors usually use either the American Psychological Association (APA) style or the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. In this case, you do not choose the citation style, but your instructor does it. 

Always ask your instructor which style you have to use BEFORE submitting an assignment. 

Questions about citation? Check our Citation and Plagiarism Basic Guide. 

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the act of plagiarizing, which means: "to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Plagiarism can be seen differently depending on your culture. In the United States, it is a very serious matter and it can bring serious consequences to your academic life. American schools and universities consider that the use of other sources without proper citation is plagiarism. And it is students' responsibility to understand and follow the guidelines for citations in order to avoid plagiarizing.

So, the first step to avoiding plagiarism is following the guides for citation.

If you read the guides and still have questions, it is totally ok! Just come to see one of our librarians and we will help!  

Often writing by non-native English speakers are falsely flagged by AI detectors.

This happens for a few reasons, including: vocabulary, generic 5 paragraph essays, use of grammar checkers, and use of translation tools. There are a few things you can do to avoid being flagged:

• Do not use AI for translating entire sentences. Translate words or expression instead. 
• When using grammar checkers as Grammarly, you can read the suggestions and fix them using your own words. Do not include their suggestions directly in your text as they are AI generated.

Make sure you check our AI guide for more tips on how to avoid being flagged as AI-written.

But if you did get flagged, look for help. Being falsely flagged by AI-detectors can be stressful, but you are not alone. Come to see us at the library and we will assist you to avoiding getting falsely flagged a second time.