Research Tips

Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes: (1) it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials you used, and (2) it allows those who are reading your work to locate the sources that you have listed as references.

Representing the work of others as your own is plagiarism. See Texas Lutheran University's discussion of "Academic Honesty & Plagiarism" (Student Handbook, p. 6). 

Use a standard bibliographic citation style approved by your professor. 

Visit these pages for citation resources:

How will you track and organize the information you find in each source? Putting a system in place now will make your literature review much easier. Some options are index cards, electronic tools like NoodleBib or Zotero, or worksheets like the one below.

NoodleBib is a web-based program that allows you to collect, manage, and organize bibliographic references by either typing or copying and pasting information from databases. NoodleBib allows you to create notes and bibliographies in either the MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), or Chicago styles. TLU students, faculty, and staff must create their own ID and password when first using the full version of NoodleBib. 

To set up an account

1. Go to NoodleBib page. You should be automatically authenticated into the TLU subscription. If you are not, go to the Library Resources page, click the "Bibliographic Citations Styles" link, then click NoodleTools.
2. To create your personal ID and password, click “choose a Personal ID.”
3. Click on the “I am a student” button.
4. Type in the personal ID you would like to have and then click “Check availability.”
5. When you type in a name that is available, you will get a GREEN message saying that it is available.
6. The next time you go to NoodleBib, you will type in your Personal ID and password.

For more help

Zotero is another electronic tool for organizing, managing, and citing sources. It takes some time to learn, but it is a powerful tool. To learn more about Zotero, visit the TLU Library's Zotero guide: