Cite Sources: Learn the correct way to cite sources by using these guides, tutorials, and videos.

Referencing Webinars: APA & MLA. Referencing Webinars are 75 minutes long and offered online or in-person.  Registration is required.

Online Appointments: Personalized online or in-person 30-minute appointments with a Learning Strategist.

MRU Guide to Canadian Legal Citation

Click on the tab "Citing Canadian Legal Resources" to access this guide.  One of the complications of using APA, MLA or Chicago manuals of style is that there are very poor examples of citing Canadian primary legal resources (because these are generally US published manuals of style).   This guide will provide examples of how to cite Canadian law within your writing, and to be used in tandem with other styles as assigned by your instructor. 

The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 10th ed (Toronto: Carswell, 2023), a.k.a. the McGill Guide, was created in an effort to standardize Canadian legal citation and provide a nationally acceptable reference system.  Please be mindful that this is the preferred style to cite Canadian Law by practitioners and law students, but you should always consult with your professor about their preference. The following are reliable online guides that provide examples of McGill:

Queens University Guide to Legal Citation 

UBC's Legal Citation Guide

Legal Research and Writing (Ted Tjaden)

COAL-RJAL Citation Guide (Canadian Open Access Legal Citation Guide)

This is a relatively new citation guide put together by a group of librarians and information professionals from law schools across Canada.  It is available for free on CanLII, and for the most part, aligns with the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. It was created in an attempt to offer a barrier free (paywall or cost free) option to help those who are looking to cite Canadian legal resources, however, examples of all formats, are provided in this guide. PLEASE NOTE: CanLII does not adhere to this style or McGill style in their citation generator where they offer a suggested citation.  In fact, these suggestions do not really align with any citation style. Always consult with the person grading your assignment to confirm what their preference is when citing Canadian legal resources.  Also note, that Google Doc citation generators very rarely provide accurate citations and mostly cite legal resources as websites. 

Here is a great website that you may find helpful for citations and formatting.

Citation management software

Citation management software allows you to save and organize items found via searching the library's databases. It also can be used to create reference lists and citations for papers. There are a number of software systems available. 

Two of the most popular free software management systems are Mendeley and Zotero. Below are some features that may help you decide between the two:

Reasons to choose Mendeley

• Your research consists mainly of pdfs. Often this is the choice for researchers in the Sciences
• Mendeley works well with Chrome and Safari and has a desktop version
• 2 GB cloud storage
• Mendeley has very well developed social collaboration tools. For example, you can find citations from similar users and search within its crowd-sourced research database
• Desktop version is installed on all publicly accessible computers at MRU

Reasons to choose Zotero

• Zotero works better if your research is both html and pdf. Often this is the choice for researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Zotero works well with Firefox. It also has a standalone desktop application
• 300 MB cloud storage
• Allows easy citation additions from websites like Amazon and Flickr
• Well liked interface for tagging and writing notes to accompany citations

Assistance with Citation Management Software

If you have any difficulties installing the software contact ITS at helpdesk@mtroyal.ca or 403.440.6000

Further questions about citation management software? Contact your subject librarian.

In legal writing there are plenty of acronyms (particularly when looking at case law and legislation, case reporters etc.).  If you come across an acronym you are not sure (eg: what is the difference between DLR and SCR?!) try using the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.