Abstracts briefly summarize the main findings of a paper or book. By reading an abstract, the reader can tell whether or not a paper or book will cover the material in which they are interested.
These sites have good information on writing an abstract:
Not all information published in books or on the internet is credible or appropriate for your needs. It is important to make sure the sources you use are credible and at the right level for what you are doing.
These pages are useful guides to evaluate your sources:
By listing the sources from which you got your information, you give credit to the people who did the original research. Not giving credit is plagiarism.
Citing your sources also gives your readers the ability to look at that information and read more about the topic.
Citation Style Guides from the UBC Chapman Learning Commons, with instructions and examples for citing sources in APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian Styles.
Here is some useful information from the UBC Plagiarism Resource Centre to help you cite your sources:
How do I know if I'm plagiarizing or not? (how to know whether information should be cited or not)
How do I cite my sources? (help with formatting your references to the sources you used)
The University makes Turnitin software available to assist writers in making proper attributions and avoid plagiarism. Training guides and videos are available at Turnitin.com. For information on using Turnitin Click here go to video tutorials, training guides, and manuals @ http://www.turnitin.com/. Click here to go to www.Turnitin.com home page.
Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: WPA
You Quote It, You Note It (tutorial)
How Not to Plagiarize
Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It