When you write a research report, you can use a variety of different sources. According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab, books, academic journals, newspapers, press releases, legal documents, pamphlets and websites are all examples of sources you can use in your research. If you choose an online source, make sure it is credible. Some blogs and message boards online may list information that is poorly researched because any person can post to these types of sites, not just experts.
By citing your sources, you can avoid being accused of plagiarism. Citations show your readers where you obtained a piece of information. If you paraphrase the information -- writing it in your own words -- you must list an in-text citation to show your readers where you found the information. If you use another author's direct words in your paper, you must put quotations around the words.
Citing sources in a research paper helps prove the information you provided is accurate. If you list facts or statistics in your research paper that are not common knowledge, tell the reader where you found the information. This makes fact checking easier and reduces the chances of misreported information. Citing sources shows the reader the information you used came from someone who is an expert on the topic.
The citations in your research provide readers with extra information to read about your topic. By showing the reader where you found your information, you allow her to explore your topic more in depth, and find out what brought you to your final conclusions.