The library is here to help you with finding sources and citing information! If you need help with other elements of your research project, CASA can help. Check out the CASA site for information on how they can help and how to get in touch with a tutor.

Citing is an important element of a research paper. In academic writing, citing sources lends credibility to our writing and helps us avoid plagiarism.

When writing a research paper, you need to choose a citation style. This will likely be dictated to you in your assignment. If there is no citation style listed in the assignment, ask your professor what citation style you should use.

Citation styles are described in style guides for disciplines. These style guides may also describe how you should organize your paper.

In the Biological Sciences there are several citation styles used. At Framingham State University, introductory and writing courses use the Counsel of Science Editors (CSE) style. CSE has a couple different styles--the Biology Department recommends the Name-Year style. For upper-level courses, consult your professor on what citation style you should use.

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a citation management tool that is available as a stand-alone program or an extenstion of the Firefox browser: 

• Create a personal database of references
• Import references from multiple databases
• Organize and manage references
• Store and organize article PDFs
• Share references
• Access your library from any computer (set-up required)
• Format bibliographies