Citation Guides
What’s a citation?
A citation is a way of giving credit to individuals for their creative and intellectual works. It directs readers to the sources you consulted for your research and helps to avoid plagiarism.
When to cite?
Always cite your sources when you’re directly quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing someone else’s work. If it’s your own idea, it doesn’t need a citation.
Citation styles by subject
Disciplines and subjects typically use a specific citation style. It’s important to clarify the preferred citation style with each instructor to ensure you’re using the best one.
- APA: Education, Journalism, Music, Nursing, Psychology, Social Sciences, Sciences, etc.
- Chicago/Turabian: Business, History, Humanities, Fine Arts, Music, etc.
- MLA: Arts and Humanities (i.e. English, Art History, Philosophy, Religion, Language, Linguistics, etc.)
Popular citation styles
American Psychological Association (APA) style
- APA format (Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University)
- Print version: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association
- APA style blog (tips and tricks)
- Citing business sources
- Citing Canadian government documents (Simon Fraser University)
- How-to videos and frequently asked questions
Chicago and Turabian style
Chicago style
- Chicago format (OWL at Purdue University)
- Chicago manual of style online (King's University College Library)
- Print version: The Chicago manual of style
- Citing business sources
Turabian style
Based on the guidelines for Chicago manual of style, with modifications for student writers.
- Turabian quick guide (University of Chicago Press)
- Print version: A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations: Chicago Style for students and researchers
- Chicago-Turabian (Indiana University Bloomington) for Musicology / Music Theory papers
Modern Language Association (MLA) style
- MLA format (OWL at Purdue University)
- Print version: MLA Handbook
- How-to videos
Other styles
American Anthropological Association (AAA)
American Chemical Society (ACS)
American Medical Association (AMA)
American Sociological Association (ASA)
- ASA format (OWL at Purdue University)
- ASA style guide (PDF)
Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA)
Creative commons and open-licence materials
Council of Scientific Editors (CSE)
Government publications and statistics
- Government publications: brief guide and detailed guide
- How to cite Statistics Canada products
- Citing guide for Statistics Canada, PCensus, & CHASS data (Simon Fraser University)
- How do I cite government publications? (McMaster University)
- Royal commissions, commissions of inquiry and task forces (PDF)
Harvard style
- Harvard system (Anglia Ruskin University)
- Harvard citations (University of Leeds)
- Harvard citation style (George Washington University)
ICMJE (Vancouver) style
- Style guide (Monash University)
- AMA Manual of Style e-book
- Wiki guide
Indigenous citation styles
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Legal materials
- Introduction to basic legal citation (Cornell)
- Legal style guides (Queen’s University)
- Citing and writing: legal information sources (Simon Fraser University)
- Print version: Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 9th ed. (McGill Guide)
- Print version: The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (US legal citation style)
Music materials
- Chicago-Turabian (Indiana University Bloomington) for Musicology / Music Theory papers
- APA format (OWL Purdue) for Music Education
Citation management software
Looking for software to help you manage the citations you've collected and automatically generate your reference list or bibliography? Find out more.
Questions?
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