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MRU Citation Guides and Resources

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.

CRJS Citation Guide 2023-2024

Through an annual collaborative effort between the library, the CRJS department and Student Learning Services, the following guide is made available specific to students in the Criminal Justice degree program.  You will find examples of how to cite legislation, case law, government information, statistics and more! Please find a link to the electronic version below, or visit the reference desk in the library to borrow a hard copy. 

Please note that the 10th edition of the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (McGill Guide) was released in Summer 2023. The 10th edition includes, among other changes, updated citation practices for case law.  Please view the 10th edition guide for the most up-to-date guidance on legal citation as the current CRJS Citation Guide has yet to incorporate all of those changes. 

McGill Guide

Citing Canadian Law

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)

Recommended APA Websites

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

Citation Management Software

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.

Contact Your Librarian

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Madelaine Vanderwerff
she/her

Contact:
Email: mvanderwerff@mtroyal.ca
Office: EL4441M

What does this weird acronym mean?

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.