Whenever you use the words or ideas of someone else in your paper or presentation, you must cite your source. Failure to do so may be considered to be plagiarism. Different disciplines use different citation styles, so confirm with your instructor which style you should use if the style is not explicit in the instructions for the assignment.
Style Manuals
Getting started with APA
UBC Librarians have created an APA Citation Style Guide to assist you with formatting in-text citations, formatting a reference list, and structuring your paper for course work.
- APA: Citation Style Guide (7th ed.)
As the 7th edition of the APA Style Guide was released in 2019, it is now the recommended version. The documents below are provided in case the 6th edition still needs to be consulted.
- APA: Getting Started (6th ed.)
- APA Sample Title Page (6th ed.)
Getting started with MLA
The Modern Language Association (MLA) citation style is commonly used in the Humanities and Social Sciences. See below for an introduction to the style, created by librarians at UBC.
Getting started with Chicago
The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) has two completely different versions of citation. The Notes and Bibliography Style is commonly used in the Humanities and Arts, while the Author-Date Style is used in the Social Sciences. The various links below will take you to sample citations and the full style guide online.
Additional Citation Styles
For specific styles, additional information and examples of citations of less common materials and formats, consult the following:
ACS – American Chemical Society Style Guide Online Manual & UBC Library ACS Quick Guide
IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Citation Style
Law – Legal Citation Guide
SAA – Society for American Archaeology Quick Guide
One-on-one Support
Get help with citing sources correctly by visiting the Library Service Desk. Visit AskAway for for immediate chat help, email libquestions.ok@ubc.ca with a specific question, or make an appointment with a subject librarian for in-depth citation support.
Explore More Resources
Citation Management: Software Solutions
- Use RefWorks to keep track of your references/citations and format your citations and bibliographies automatically. RefWorks software is free to UBC students, staff, and faculty.
- Other software solutions: UBC Library Guide on Citation Management, BibTeX, EndNote
- UBC Library guide on using RefWorks & Write-N-Cite
- For a complete guide to citation management, please refer to UBC Library’s guide to citation management.
Understanding Citation
- Academic Integrity & Plagiarism Guide from UBC Library
- How to Cite from UBC Library
- How to Cite Data from UBC Library
- Business Citation Examples: APA Style from David Lam Library, UBC
- Avoid Plagiarism from UBC’s Learning Commons