Introduction

Study Spark provides you with an abundance of material on every subject matter conceivable. Students around the world rely on Study Spark and other academic writing resources to improve the quality of their writing, get started on a daunting research project, or to locate new information. 

This article will show you how to properly cite Study Spark resources and study documents.

The Internet has made it easy for students to copy and paste what they read online, and many forget how easy it is to detect plagiarism. Anti-plagiarism websites or plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin.com are commonly used among high school and university faculty. Be careful when you rely on Study Spark for your work. 

By all means, Study Spark is a legitimate source of information, and in many ways more helpful than other websites. Regardless, you need to cite Study Spark. Cite Study Spark material as you would any other source used in your own research, term papers, or essays.

Using Study Spark is Not Plagiarism

When you use Study Spark resources, take care to cite all the material you use in your original paper or essay. This article will show you how to create an appropriate citation in the most commonly used formats in academia such as APA and MLA. 

Remember: Using Study Spark is not plagiarism, but neglecting to cite Study Spark properly is. Therefore, use this guide to help you with citations.

Why Cite Study Spark?

Citing Study Spark is the right thing to do. Why? 

Think about it this way: How would you feel if someone stole what you wrote in a blog post, without even linking back to your website? Or took one of your personal photos you posted from a social media site?

If you take any information from another writer, online or in print, that material needs a citation. This guide will show you how to cite this material so that you do not get accused of plagiarism.

All academic institutions take plagiarism seriously. Avoid the costly errors careless students make by following these instructions and citing the material you get from Study Spark.

Won’t I Get In Trouble?

No. You will only get in trouble if it is discovered that you did use Study Spark but did not cite the information properly.

Study Spark is a legitimate source of information like any other. Therefore, simply insert a citation according to the formatting style preferred by your instructor and you are good to go. 

There is nothing new under the sun; every writer at some point needs to borrow thoughts, ideas, or concepts from another person or outside source. When they do, they provide credit where credit is due. 

It’s simple: all you are doing is giving credit to the source. 

How Do I Know When to Cite?

If you are new to academic writing, it can take some practice familiarizing yourself with citations. This guide will help you better understand when you need to create a citation to give credit for the material you used from Study Spark.

You need to cite Study Spark or any other source when you borrow information, ideas, images, or text. 

The most common ways of borrowing information from a source like Study Spark include paraphrasing and direct quotations. 

Paraphrasing: Borrowing Someone Else’s Ideas

Paraphrasing refers to putting someone else’s ideas in your own words. If you paraphrase from a Study Spark source, you need to insert a citation.

Direct Quotes

Direct quotes are more straightforward, because you copy and paste what someone else has written word for word.

If you use a direct quote from Study Spark or any other source, insert a citation.

Multimedia

Some Study Spark sources will have additional material such as images, videos, or spreadsheets. This information also needs to be cited properly if you use it in your own work.

In-Text Citations

When you cite from any Study Spark source, you need to insert in-text citations. If you are using Chicago style formatting, some instructors prefer endnotes or footnotes to in-text citations.

In-text citations look differently depending on the formatting style you are using, so first check with your instructor or professor about what style of citation they prefer.

Typically, they will tell you they want APA, MLA, or Chicago style.

However, there are others such as Turabian, Harvard, and ASA.

In-Text Citation for a Study Spark Source: APA Format

To cite a Study Spark source in APA format inside the body of your own work, you would use the familiar formats below:

Direct Quote:

• Because of increased access to food supplies, “the number of beavers has increased exponentially in recent years,” (“Beavers in Canada,” 2018, p. 2).
• According to “Beavers in Canada,” (2018), “the number of beavers has increased exponentially in recent years,” (p. 2).

Paraphrase:

• Beaver populations in Canada may in fact be on the rise (“Beavers in Canada,” 2018).
• According to “Beavers in Canada,” (2018) beaver populations are on the increase.

In-Text Citation for a Study Spark Source: MLA Format

Direct Quote:

• “The number of beavers has increased exponentially in recent years,” (“Beavers in Canada” 2).
• According to “Beavers in Canada,” “the number of beavers has increased exponentially in recent years,” (2).

Paraphrase:

• Beaver populations in Canada may in fact be on the rise (“Beavers in Canada” 2).
• According to “Beavers in Canada,” beaver populations are on the increase (“Beavers in Canada,” 2).

Formatting Study Spark Citations in Bibliography

The bibliography page, called the Works Cited page in MLA format and the References page in APA format, is where you will list the entire entry for the Study Spark source.

This guide will show you how to cite Study Spark sources in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats, the most commonly used styles in academic writing.

If you need help citing other resources in your paper, check out our tutorial on how to cite an essay.

Citing Study Spark in APA format
Study Spark (2019). Title of the paper. Retrieved from

Citing Study Spark in MLA format
Study Spark. “Title of the Paper.” 20 Dec. 2019, Accessed 31 Dec 2009

Citing Study Spark in Chicago format
“Title of the Paper.” Study Spark. Dec 12, 2019,

Conclusion

Study Spark is your ally when you use it properly. If you can, refer to the contents of this guide again in the future. When you cite all your sources, including Study Spark, you protect yourself from unjust allegations related to plagiarism or academic dishonesty.