Image source: Reasonist. Used with permission.
Citing your references, or the sources of information that you use in your research, is critical for a number of reasons. Citing references:
shows you've incorporated other scholarly research into your work;
gives a record of the sources you've used in your research;
provides the reader with valuable information, indicating where to go to find further information;
extends professional honesty and courtesy. Writers have a responsibility to indicate when they have used someone else's ideas or words.
When citing a reference or compiling a bibliography, there are many style choices. Check with your professor to see which style (APA, MLA, etc.) you should use.