Cite Sources
The staff at the library information desk will be happy to help with specific questions about citation or connecting you with information resources about citing. For more in depth help, students should consult with their instructor or make an appointment with a Writing and Learning Strategist in Student Learning Services, located at T123 (Tel.= 403.440.6452).
A note to students about citation style guidelines: Many citation format guidelines are open to interpretation. For this reason your instructor is the final authority of the subject of citation for any given assignment.
Citation Styles
APA, MLA, Chicago - Custom Mount Royal guides
- APA Citation Format (PDF) - NEW version
- MLA Documentation in Research Papers (PDF) - NEW version
- MLA Documentation for Literature (PDF) - NEW version
- MRU Dept of Humanities Chicago Style Documentation for History (PDF) - NEW version
- MR Dept. of English Standard of Referencing (DOC)
- try also MR Dept. of English Minimum Standard of Correctness (Word)
- Chicago: Notes/Bibliography Documentation (PDF)
- Chicago: Author/Date Documentation (PDF)
- Cite it! A guide to visualizing citation (video tutorial 00:03:57)
Helpful APA sites
- APA Formatting and Style Guide - Purdue University
- Business Citation Guide-- APA Style - University of British Columbia
- APA style - Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
Helpful MLA sites
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide - Purdue University
- Business Citation Guide-- MLA Style - University of British Columbia
Helpful Chicago sites
Other styles
- IEEE Style Documentation - University of Toronto
- ACS Style Guide - Pennsylvania State University -- [Print version at MR Library]
- Council of Science Editors Style - Ohio State University
- Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Style Guide
Why? Rationale
In all academic assignments, you must properly cite all ideas and work you use that are not your own. Proper citations not only ensure the integrity of your work, they also strengthen your work because they reflect the effort you have put into doing research, and add context to your argument. Failure to cite your sources constitutes plagiarism (see below). Want to know more? Check out some of these sources:
- Avoid Plagiarism (PDF)
- You Quote It, You Note It! - from Acadia University
- Why are There Different Citation Styles - Yale University
- Citing Sources - Duke University
Plagiarism: Information for students and faculty
Failure to cite properly is an academic offense and constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is copying someone else's work, words, or ideas and representing them as your own without giving credit to the author.
Plagiarism in an academic offense; consequences can include failure of and expulsion from a course. See section 5.0 and 6.0 in the Student Code of Conduct for information on academic dishonesty and consequences of academic dishonesty.
MR Library periodically holds a faculty professional development workshop on plagiarism. Links, examples, and more information about how to detect plagiarism can be found at Detecting Plagiarism.