What does a citation look like?
Citations generally consist of the following components:
A shorter citation will appear in the text of your written work that will correspond with a more in-depth citation at the end of your work in the form of a list of references.
The format of a citation depends on the style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago.
Which citation style should I use?
Citation styles can differ among courses and subjects. The citation styles used at Aurora College are generally APA, MLA, or Chicago. Make sure to confirm the citation style required for each of your courses with your instructors.
Citation: Keyano College. (September 4, 2019). English: Citation overview. Retrieved from: https://keyano.beta.libguides.com/c.php?g=699195&p=4974611.
Why use a citation management tool? They allow you to collect your journal article, book or other documents together in one place and help you create bibliographies in almost any style quickly. Citation management tools help you keep track of your sources while you work and store your references for future use and reuse.
While each citation management tool provides some unique features, all of the following tools can help you:
Free citation management tools
Zotero is a free, open source tool that helps you collect, organize, cite and share your research sources. Citations can easily be added by dragging and dropping PDFs of articles into your account.
Mendeley is free with up to 2GB of storage. Extra storage is available for a fee. Citations can be added by dragging and dropping PDFs of articles into your account. You can use the Mendeley bookmarklet to import citations from databases and websites..
What citation management tool should you use?
Wondering which of these tools is right for you? Take a look at this comparison chart from the University of Toronto Library to see which will fit your needs: Citation Software Comparison Table
Checking your citations
Writing your paper and need to make sure you're citing in the correct style?
Purdue Owl has style guides and how-tos for citation styles such as: APA, MLA, Chicago, AMA, ASA.
Citation Generators
Thinking of using an online citation generator? While it might be faster and easier, it might not be right. No matter which citation generator you use, none of them is perfect, and it is up to you to check the results for accuracy. Refer to your handouts or to the appropriate style manual to determine if your citations are correct.
Bibme supports APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian citation styles. It allows searching for your item and will autofill the information if it finds it. You will need to register to use the service, but it is free.
Citation Machine supports APA, MLA, Turabian or Chicago style citations. You will need to input the information manually to generate the citation.
Knight Cite supports APA, MLA, and Chicago style citations. You will need to input the information manually to generate the citation.
Noodle Tools supports APA, MLA, and Chicago/Turabian styles. You will need to input the information manually to generate the citation. Citations cannot be saved.
The formal MLA and APA style do not have a format for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
Norquest College has developed the following citation styles in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation, and we thank them for sharing their template.
APA Style
Unlike other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the reference list.
In Text:
The in-text citation format should follow the same guidelines as noted in the paraphrase and direct quote tabs:
Delores Cardinal described the nature of the... (2004). OR The nature of the place was... (Cardinal, 2004).
Reference:
The citation format for the reference list follows the following format:
Last name, First initial., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. Where they live if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. personal communication. Month Date, Year.
For example: Cardinal, D., Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. personal communication. April 4, 2004.
MLA Style
Unlike most other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the reference list.
In text:
The in-text citation format should be formatted as:
Delores Cardinal described the nature of the... OR The nature of the place was... (Cardinal).
Reference Citation:
The citation format for the reference list follows the following format:
Last name, First name., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Date Month Year.
For Example: Cardinal, Delores., Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.
Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.
Why do you need to cite?
There are several important reasons to cite sources used in your research, including: