For most college papers, you will be asked to use specific conventions of formatting and documentation.  The two most common in undergraduate work are MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) guidelines.  Either way, you will need to follow a process that formats the paper in a certain manner and collects infomration on the sources included in the text: this flowchart will walk you through those steps.  The infomration is then used to make appropriate in-text citations and a works cited (MLA) or references (APA) page. 

Brief "cheat sheet' on MLA                                                                 Brief "cheat sheet" on APA

MLA sample paper                                                                           APA sample paper

These podcasts from the University of Wisconsin: Madison provide excellent introductions to MLA nad APA format.  We strongly recommend these links for those of you unfamiliar with the basics of either style.

MLA format PODCAST from the UW: Madison                                     APA format PODCAST from the UW: Madison

The web sites below all give excellent in-depth information on MLA and APA conventions for academic writing.  The favorite picks of the TRCC Writing Center are listed first:

MLA format from the UNC: Chapel Hill                                                 APA format from the UNC: Chapel Hill

MLA format from Purdue University                                                     APA format from Purdue University

MLA format from Capital Community College                                       APA format from Capital Community College

One of the toughest things to do when using outside sources in your writing is incorporating the information seamlessly into your own writing.  Here is a good resource to give you some suggestions on how to do that:

Introducing a quote in-text MLA

Integrating source material- some tips and practices to avoid