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The ability to effectively cite information sources is key to both student avoidance of plagiarism and the ongoing scholarly conversation. Previous research and experience indicated that students had significant trouble distinguishing and citing various information formats when viewed online; items are often cited as websites, and citations are incomplete or contain erroneous and extraneous information. The authors investigated the prevalence of these problems at their university, seeking out common patterns in the data to determine what, if any, information literacy objectives may be useful for future studies and instructional practice.

The ability to effectively cite information sources is key to both student avoidance of plagiarism and the ongoing scholarly conversation. Previous research and experience indicated that students had significant trouble distinguishing and citing various information formats when viewed online; items are often cited as websites, and citations are incomplete or contain erroneous and extraneous information. The authors investigated the prevalence of these problems at their university, seeking out common patterns in the data to determine what, if any, information literacy objectives may be useful for future studies and instructional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]