Introduction to Citation
What is a citation?
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When you use someone else's words, ideas, images, or data in your writing, you need to include a citation. Different disciplines use different citation styles. This guide includes resources for several common styles.
Why are citations important?
They allow you to:
- Acknowledge the work of the authors whose ideas you use
- Participate in the scholarly conversation on a topic
- Help readers find your sources
- Avoid plagiarism
Citation generators and AI tools
Many tools automatically create citations, including:
- Free online citation generators
- Library databases (look for a "cite" or "citation" button)
- AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT
These resources can be a helpful starting point, but the generated citations often contain errors. Use the citation resources in this guide to check and correct your citations.
Resources for learning more
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Appropriate Level of Citation (APA Style)Explains how often to cite your sources in APA style. Frequency of citation varies depending on the discipline, so check with your instructor if you have questions.
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What Goes into a Citation? (PDF)Shows where to find the information you need to cite a book, chapter in a book, article, or webpage.
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How to Cite when Quoting, Paraphrasing and SummarizingExplains how to properly cite your sources in-text when writing a research paper.
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Annotated BibliographiesGives guidance for writing an annotated bibliography, including examples.
Citing Specific Types of Sources
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How to Cite Statistical Sources (U of A)Resources on how to cite data and statistics.
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How to Cite Statistics Canada ProductsExamples in APA style of how to cite Statistics Canada products and materials.
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Creative Commons Materials: Best Practices for AttributionOutlines what information to include for CC-licensed materials.
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How to Cite Asian Language Sources (UBC)For Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi sources in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.
Writing Resources
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How to Research Guide (U of A)Information on finding and evaluating sources, what to include in an annotated bibliography, and links to tutorials and writing resources.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)Free resources on writing, research, grammar and mechanics, and citation.