Introduction to Citation
What is a citation?
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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
- 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 SummarizingHow 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 ProductsExamples in APA style of how to cite Statistics Canada products and materials.
- Creative Commons Materials: Best Practices for AttributionOutlines what information to include for CC-licensed materials.
- 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)Many citation styles have introduced guidelines for citing generative AI such as ChatGPT. This guide gives examples of how citations can be approached (in APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, and Vancouver styles) and outlines potential issues and considerations for using and citing generative AI.
- AI-Generated Content and Citation (U of Waterloo)Provides examples of AI citations in APA, Chicago, IEEE, JAMA, and MLA styles.
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.