# Academic Integrity

It is **your responsibility** to provide the reader with the precise sources of quotations, ideas and points of view in your essay. You achieve this through **accurate citations**, which may include in-text or footnotes throughout your essay, and a full list of references at the end of your paper. The type of citation method you use will vary depending on your subject matter and/or the instructions of your school. 

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**Keeping track of your sources and properly referencing them** as you go through the research and draft-writing process **is critical!** 
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**Mistakes** here **could lead** to **failure of the IB diploma**.
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![](https://2487658792-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MDolGjlJO15_RSEJJjl%2F-MaPnfmrFfKAi8UV205H%2F-MaPxBxs_yEOUOZG6XLP%2Fshutterstock_1049423489.jpeg?alt=media\&token=dba6ac6d-2e66-4926-9113-31ba595e3897)

As a general rule of thumb, the **four main citation styles** used in academic publications are:

* Chicago Manual
* MLA
* APA
* Harvard Reference

There are plenty of websites that you can find online to clarify **how to cite your sources**. 

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Just **be aware** that a given website might take liberties with some of the details of the guidelines, so when in doubt, **trust only the official published manual** for each style.
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