• Including citations helps other researchers, students, and teachers trace your research path to find more information.
• Following style guidelines helps add credibility to your writing by providing you with a structured method for sharing your research with your audience.
• Citing other people's work gives them credit for what they've created.

Copyright in the U.S. is automatic. That means that you already hold the copyright to any work you've created. Examples: writing, images, music.

Copyright does not protect work that is not fixed in a tangible form. Examples: ideas, processes, titles, names.