Why Cite? Citing your sources may seem tedious, but it's important to cite because:
This course requires you to use APA style.
APA citations for legal materials are based on the Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, the go-to guide for legal professionals but include some additional information. APA has a format for federal bills but there is no set standard for state bills and non-codified information, so do your best to provide your readers the information they need in a consistent format they can figure out.
Because these standards are mainly for lawyers who are citing a particular point of law, for statutes and regulations, the best practice is to cite the codified (code) version of the law (e.g., the xx U.S.C. § xxx, xx C.F.R. § xxx, etc.) unless the law is too new to have been codified, distributed across so many codes, no longer valid, being discussed in the context of its passage, or is otherwise impractical to cite this way. For policy research, you are often citing bills or regulations that have been introduced but not passed/finalized/enacted/enrolled, or else you are citing the final version of the legislation or regulation but not the code.
General format for enacted US. Congressional bills/legislation (aka Public Laws/Statutes at Large) that have been passed
<Name of Act/Law>, Pub. L. No. <Number>, <Volume number> Stat. <Page number>. (<Year>). <URL> [Note that the final version of the law should have both a Pub. L. No. and a Stat. number on the document]
General format for U.S. Congressional (federal) bills (not or not yet passed)
<Name of Act/Law>, <Bill or Resolution Number>, <Number of Congress [e.g., 118th]> Cong. (<Year>). <URL>
General format for state bills and enacted legislation
<Name of Act/Law>, <State abbreviation> <Number [which may include some letter abbreviations like A.B./S.B./H.B./P.A./etc.]> (<Year>). <URL>
Nexis Uni, HeinOnline, and Congress.gov all include built-in citation tools that include recommended citations for each document/article in APA, Bluebook, and other citation styles, though each seems to use a different format.
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A WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER. The newest official release of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition includes four different formats--spiral-bound and tabbed, paperback, hardcover, and ebook, all of which are in full color. It is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process--from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work. The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing. All formats are in full color, with a new tabbed spiral version Easy navigation, with topics divided into numbered sections to help users quickly location the information they need Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types, guidelines on citing course materials, and guidance on writing clearly, precisely, and concisely Dedicated chapter for new users of APA Style covering paper elements and format, including sample papers for both professional authors and student writers New chapter on journal article reporting standards (JARS) that includes updates to reporting standards for quantitative research and the first-ever qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards in APA Style Updated chapter on bias-free language guidelines for writing about people with respect and inclusivity in areas including age, disability, gender, participation in research, racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality Updated chapter on essential style guidelines for scholarly writing, including punctuation, italics, capitalization, abbreviations, and numbers More than 40 new sample tables and figures Expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices, including how to ensure the appropriate level of citation, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and navigate the publication process More than 100 new reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, legal resources, and many other document types Guidelines that support accessibility for all users, including simplified reference, in-text citation, and heading formats as well as additional font options
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation by 
Download the desktop and set up the web account -- all at no cost. Click to learn more.
One place for citations, PDFs, or even notes.
If you have more than a handful of citations or you might reuse them sometime, Zotero will save you time -- use ZoteroBib if you only have a few citations
Plagiarism can be unintentional or intentional when ideas, text, and creative work are used but not cited in academic, professional, and personal work.
Common forms of plagiarism can include: 
How will you know if something is common knowledge? Consider:
Use your common sense — when in doubt, ask!
Consider using tools to help organize your research and keep your information in one place. Try keeping track of what you're quoting or paraphrasing in a “research journal.” Find reviews for some of the newest top apps for:
If you just want to track your citations (without notes), use online tools like Zotero.
If you still have questions about when to cite, check with your instructor.
Read the entire text, underlining key points and main ideas.
In your own words, write a sentence about the main idea of the text (i.e. summarize). Also, write key points in the text.
Highlight any words, phrases, or key passages that you would want to quote directly.
Combine the above into a new paraphrased paragraph, using your own words.
You are expected to complete the work assigned to you so the professor can see if you are learning and what you’ve learned. Ask yourself these two questions before using an AI resource/tool.
Is the resource/tool doing the thing for you that is being assessed?
Make sure you are doing the work that is being assessed. For example, if spelling isn’t being assessed, then you can use a spell checker. However, if your language skills are being assessed, then you shouldn't use Chat GPT or Google Translate (for example).
Is the resource/tool allowed by the course instructor?
If you use a tool/resource that has been prohibited OR if you use one that is not explicitly allowed, then you might be cheating.
Values test – does using GenAI on this assignment (given the learning objectives/grading rubric) undermine honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness or trustworthiness?
Standards test – does using GenAI on this assignment undermine academic integrity standards of the instructor or the institution (e.g., what you submit should be your own work in your own words)
Exposure test – if the professor or the Academic Integrity Office knew I used GenAI for this assignment, do I feel okay about that or fearful about that being exposed?
If you doubt using GenAI for academic work, be sure to ASK your instructor.
