This guide provides useful tips such as creating in-text citations, bibliographies and reference lists for the following three citation styles:
American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition
Modern Language Association (MLA) 9th edition
Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17th edition
Do consult your instructor or Teaching & Learning Centre (TLC) for questions pertaining to the use of a specific citation style and sources that can be cited.
To be a responsible researcher by acknowledging the works of other authors and respecting their intellectual property.
To avoid plagiarism by referencing other authors' concepts and words and thereby eliminating plagiarism.
To track the sources used in the paper. Citation also enables readers to track the sources used in the research paper easily, which can be helpful for your future research.
You must cite when quoting words, thoughts or ideas from another author or when paraphrasing or summarising other authors' ideas. Besides books and journal articles, you are also required to cite videos, statistics, social media posts, podcasts or even images used in your academic paper.
Plagiarism, the act of using someone else's content without giving appropriate credit, is a serious offence in the academic world. Whether it's intentional or accidental, plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and can have severe consequences.
Self-plagiarism is using sections from your previous assignments or academic papers without referencing them.
The only way to avoid plagiarism is to cite consistently and accurately. Visit the Teaching and Learning Centre for more learning support.