Why should you cite your sources?
Be as specific as you can: cite specific pages if possible; cite a particular chapter instead of the whole book, especially if chapters are written by different authors, etc.
There are thousands of different styles available for you to cite your sources. So while you can choose practically any style that is appropriate, it is important to stick to that one style and remain consistent. If your instructor or TA indicates a particular style, be sure to use that.
To help you create citations, you can use EasyBib (free service), EndNote Web (free - Note: EndNote Web is no longer free as of October 2024), or EndNote ($$).
Details of two styles you might use are found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) website. You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page and chose the Reference List options to see how to site a book, journal article, web site, etc.
General structure for citing books and articles:
Book with Author(s):
Journal Articles:
Author, A. A; Author, B. B; Author, C. C. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation (italics) [Online if online] Year (boldface), Volume (italics), Pagination.
Deno, N. C.; Richey, H. G.; Liu, J. S.; Lincoln, D. N.; Turner, J. O. Carbonium Ions. XIX. The Intense Conjugation in Cyclopropyl Carbonium Ions. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 1965, 87, 4533-4538.