Last updated November 1, 2024
Contents
- Introduction
- Handling Citation Questions: The Basics
- Handling Citation Questions: Go Deeper
- Handling Tricky Citation Questions
- Making Referrals
- Appendix 1: Recommended Citation Guides and Websites
If you would like to recommend a guide not listed below, please contact the AskAway Admin Centre.
Local Guides and Websites
- If a citation guide from the student’s institution exists, point them to this guide first (see Handling Citation Questions: The Basics).
- Refer to the library's Policy Page - Citation Guides field for a link to their citation guides.
- Some institutions may not create their own guides but do link to recommended guides. In this case, direct students to these guides.
Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers
NorQuest College Library noted that the formal APA and MLA style guides do not have a format for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, so they developed templates for MLA and APA styles in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation. Thank you to Lorisia MacLeod (2021) for developing the templates.
Based on these templates, the Kwantlen Polytechnic University added a few elements as recommended by their Elder in Residence Lekeyten for MLA and APA styles. They also collaborated with the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University to adapt a Chicago citation style.
- KPU Indigenous Studies Citation Guide
- KPU Indigenous Studies Instructional Videos (Scroll to the bottom for citation styles)
Citing Generative AI
If students ask about using any Generative AI tools in their assignment or research, please remind them to check with their instructor and/or the submission guidelines for their assignment. You can also visit the student's library's Policy Page to see if an official statement or policies exist outlining the acceptable use of Generative AI.
If these tools are allowed, remind students that they must cite the content to distinguish their ideas from those provided by the tool(s). All users of Generative AI must apply critical thinking skills to ensure ethical and responsible use of the content provided. The algorithms that run Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT do not evaluate content and can perpetuate harmful biases and misinformation. Newcastle University has created a Thinking Critically about AI skills kit to help users critically evaluate the information produced by generative AI. Students can also reach out to their institution's library to find additional resources.
It is important to note that the rules for citing AI generated content is expected to change and evolve as the field rapidly develops, so students should check regularly to see if there are changes or updates.
Guidelines from APA
The official APA style Blog has released information on citing Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. The style is modified from the template used for citing software and the author should be the tool's creator. For example, Open AI would be the author for content provided by ChatGPT.
Capilano University has also provided a guide for citing AI generated images. It is important to remember that all content provided by the AI tool should be cited and this includes text, images, graphs, data, etc.
Guidelines from MLA
The MLA website gives the following advice for citing generative AI:
- "cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it
- acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location
- take care to vet the secondary sources it cites (see example 5 below for more details)"
This link above also provides examples of citing generative AI tools using the MLA template.
Guidelines from Chicago
Guidelines from the Chicago Style
The University of Toronto has also provided some examples
APA Style
APA Reference Examples (from APA)
APA Style Blog (from APA)
- If you don't find your answer in the blog itself, check the comments as editors will often reply to questions with more information
Additional guides created by BC ELN member institutions:
How to Read an APA Reference (from Douglas College)
APA Citation Style Guide (from Douglas College)
Citing Canadian Government Documents: APA (from SFU)
- The Hansard Citation Guide for LiPaD Resources may also be helpful (from LiPaD at University of Toronto)
Citing tables and figures: APA (from SFU)
In addition to local guides, there are also these helpful APA resources reviewed by coordinators and providers:
APA for Business Sources (from the Academic Business Librarians of BC)
- See the About and Disclaimer pages for more information about the resource
Massey University New Zealand OWLL (not to be confused with Purdue OWL)
- The APA Interactive tool allows you to create customized examples
APA Introduction by Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Note: Purdue OWL includes advertisements on its website)
Chicago Style
Note that the Chicago style has two forms: Author-date, commonly used in the social sciences, and Notes-bibliography, commonly used in the humanities. The biggest difference is that the former uses parenthetical notes, and the latter uses footnotes, however, there are many other differences.
NOTE: As of September 2024, the 18th edition of the Chicago Style was released. There are links below for both styles.
17th Edition
*Please note that the links below lead to the 17th edition notes as of October 2024. However, they may be updated to the 18th edition at some point, so please verify which version the guide provides notes on.
Chicago Manual of Style: Quick Guide: This ebook is available via subscription at many institutions. It will require log-in.
Chicago Manual of Style: Citation guide (from UBC Library)
Chicago Manual of Style: Citation guide (from TRU Libraries)
Chicago Manual of Style (from Concordia University)
Chicago Style Citation Guide - Langara School of Management (from Langara College)
Chicago Style paper formatting tip sheets (From Turabian.org)
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Note: Purdue OWL includes advertisements on its website)
- Chicago
- Sample papers for each style are available on Purdue OWL.
18th edition
CMOS Shop Talk: FAQs for Students (from Chicago Manual of Style)
What’s new in the 18th edition? (from the Chicago Manual of Style)
Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition: Citation Guide (from the University of Lethbridge)
MLA Style
MLA Works Cited: A Quick Guide (from MLA Style Center)
MLA Style Interactive Practice Template (from MLA Style Center)
MLA Citation Guide (9th edition) (from Columbia College)
MLA (9th ed.) Citation Style Guide (from Douglas College)
MLA Style (from Massey University in NZ)
MLA Style (from Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) (Note: Purdue OWL includes advertisements on its website)
Harvard Style
Mendeley's Harvard Format Citation Guide
USQ Harvard AGPS Referencing Guide (from University of Southern Queensland)
Quick guide to Harvard referencing (from The Open University in the UK)
IEEE Style
IEEE Reference Guide (from the IEEE Author Centre)
IEEE Citation Style (from Camosun College)
IEEE Citation Style (from Okanagan College)
IEEE Citation Style (from OWL Purdue - Note: Purdue OWL includes advertisements on its website)
IEEE Citation Style (from SAIT)
ASA Style
ASA (7th ed.) Citation Style Guide (from Douglas College)
ASA Style Guide (7th ed.) (from University of Toronto)