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Citation & Avoiding Plagiarism

A quick guide to reach library resources and tools for academic integrity

What is a Citation & What is Citation Style?


Citation: A (Very) Brief Introduction - NC State University Libraries [1:54]

A citation is a way of identifying and giving credit to others' published works that you used to support your own research. Other than facilitating researchers to locate sources of works, including citations in a paper also helps avoid plagiarism.

A citation consists of two parts: in-text citation and reference list. In-text citations are brief references of sources within the text of the paper, while reference list is a complete list of references at the end of the paper.
 

A citation style defines the necessary information for a citation, how the information is ordered, and what format citations should follow. 

Generally, the citation style you use depends on your research area. Check with your instructor or supervisor if you are not sure which style you should use for your assignment. Some commonly used styles for different faculties are listed in the table below.

How to Cite Properly in Different Subject Areas?

Faculty (Subject) Commonly Used Citation Style Citation Guide by Subject
Business (FB) APA / Harvard Guides for Business
Construction & Environment (FCE) IEEE / Harvard Guides for Construction & Environment
Engineering (FENG) IEEE / APA Guides for Engineering
Health Sciences & Social Sciences (FHSS) APA

Guides for Health Sciences
Guides for Social Sciences

Humanities (FH) APA / MLA Guides for Humanities
Science (FS) APA / Harvard Guides for Science
School of Design (SD) APA Guide for Design
School of Fashion & Textiles  (SFT) APA / Harvard Guides for Fashion & Textiles
School of Hotel & Tourism Management (SHTM) APA Guide for Hotel & Tourism Management

For information on how to cite GenAI content, please refer to this page here.