In what cases should you cite sources

We must cite every time we incorporate content from other works (ideas, theories, text, tables, graphs, statistical data, etc.). This also applies to ideas taken from interviews (whether publicly published or private) and non-publicly available sources. It does not matter whether the work is freely available (without payment) on the internet, provided by your supervisor or classmate, or sourced from e-resources of the university. Do not pass off someone else’s ideas, texts, or data as your own!

The exception to this rule is so-called “Common knowledge” – Information that is generally known, indisputable, and easily found in encyclopaedias or basic textbooks – for example: Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic.

Citing terminology can be somewhat tricky. The terminological and knowledge framework of a field does not need to be cited (terms that are commonly used and widely known in the given field). However, when it comes to new terminology or a new perspective on already established terminology, you must cite.

There is no need to cite (if published for the first time in your text): your own ideas, analyses, calculations, or descriptions of the results of your own experiments or observations.

If you have previously published them, however, you must cite yourself. For instance, if you are building on your bachelor’s thesis in your master’s thesis, it will likely be necessary to cite your bachelor’s work in the master’s thesis. This form of citation is called self-citation.

If you are unsure whether you need to cite, it is better to cite, or consult your supervisor.