Subject Guides: Citation and Reference Management: Citing Your Sources

Introduction to Citation

What is a citation?

Streamline your citations with a
reference management tool

A citation gives credit to the source of a quotation, paraphrase, or other information that you have used in your writing. There are many different citation styles established by academic and professional organizations; this guide includes resources for several common citation styles.

Citation is important:

For scholarly communication. You grow in knowledge by learning from subject experts, and participate in scholarly communication through your academic writing.
To give credit and show professionalism. Citations allow others (and you!) to find the sources used in your paper and learn more about them.
To avoid plagiarism.

Adapted from: University of Alberta Library. (2020). Why do we cite? in APA style citation tutorial.

Resources for learning more

Introduction to Citation
What is a citation, and why is it important?
Plagiarism Tutorial
What is plagiarism? What are the rules to follow to avoid plagiarism?
Appropriate Level of Citation (APA Style)
Guidelines on when, and how often, to credit sources through citation in APA style. Frequency of citation will vary depending on the discipline, so check with your instructor if you have any questions.
What Goes into a Citation?
Where to find information needed when citing a book, chapter in a book, article, or webpage.
How to Cite when Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing
How to properly cite your sources in-text when writing a research paper.

Citing Specific Types of Sources

How to Cite Statistical Sources (U of A)
Resources on how to cite data and statistics.
How to Cite Statistics Canada Products
Examples in APA style of how to cite Statistics Canada products and materials.
Creative Commons Materials: How to Give Attribution
Outlines what information to include for CC-licensed materials.
Indigenous Citation Styles (U of A)
Templates for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers in APA and MLA styles.
How to Cite Asian Language Sources (UBC)
For Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi sources in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.
ChatGPT and other generative AI tools (U of Queensland)
For most citation styles, there are not yet guidelines for citing ChatGPT. This guide gives suggestions for how citations could be approached and outlines some of the potential issues and considerations for using and citing generative AI.

Writing Resources

Research and Writing Guide (U of A)
Information on finding and evaluating sources, what to include in an annotated bibliography, and links to tutorials and writing resources.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Free resources on writing, research, grammar and mechanics, and style guides.