APA Format

APA format is used in research papers because it protects the writer from plagerism and copyright infringement. Citing a source means that you are giving the respectful to the owner or the finder of the information. A writer needs to cite a source because he/she can get into big trouble if they copy without citing a source. A writer if not summarizing a qoute but directly copying it they must also add the page number plus the authors name. A reference page is a cited list source that has all the information on where youy got your information. APA format is just one of the ways papers can protect you from plagerism.

Example: Pirate bay sells itself as "one of the most ressilient bittorent sites". (Pirate Bay)