Guidelines for References

As emphasized before, you may use help in homework, but it must be referenced.

Unless explicitly told otherwise, we assume that all work you hand in is original. The only outside sources that you may use without explicit acknowledgments are

• The textbook.
• The instructors
• The TA

Failure to properly acknowledge help is academic fraud.

Format

1. Books, papers
   
   • At a minimum, say what you consulted. Example: "In Problem 3, I used Johnsonbaugh and Schaefer's book." This is barely enough: a grader may not know what the book is, or whether it gave a hint or an algorithm.
   • Ideally (certainly, if you are writing a paper, or a formal document) give the complete reference: author, title, publication details, page number(s).
     Example: "In Problem 3, I adapted the code for Vertex Degrees from Algorithm 3.3.11 on page 117 of
     R. Johnsonbaugh and M. Schaefer: Algorithms, Pearson/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ (2003)."
2. Web
   Give at least a url, preferably the url, a description of how you used it, and time consulted.
   Example: "To understand the Linear Programming methodology, I looked at the Reference Manual Example of
   Thomas Finley's PyGLPK program
   http://www.cs.cornell.edu/~tomf/pyglpk/ex_ref.html (retrieved October 28, 2008, 10:35)."
   Note: Be careful! In general, web posts may have mistakes and inaccuracies. They may also be protected by copyright, and/or may
   contain proprietary material. The fact that it is available does not guarantee that it is legally available!
   In your professional applications use of materials of uncertain provenance may expose you and your employer to very substantial risks.
3. Humans
   Acknowledge all help. Example: "I discussed Problem 4 with Joe and Mary from the class."
   "Prasad told me how to write Algorithm 2."

In formal documents, papers, etc., you should follow the reference format guidelines of the appropriate subarea. The MLA and the Chicago Manual of Style are general sets of rules. Journals, conferences, and organizations may have different rules. It is your responsibility both to know and to follow the rules.