Three things that I now know about correct citations in academic writing:

1. Paraphrases must be cited. Even if it is in your own words and sentence structure, the idea was not originally yours, and correct credit must be given.

2. Citations are not just to make sure you do not plagiarize. They are also necessary to give credit to those who deserve it, and also to provide readers away to evaluate the argument and its sources for reliability and credibility.

3. There are many resources out there that will help you cite sources, such as EndNote and Zotero. Still, it is always best to know the citation guidelines to check auto-generated citations for accuracy.