Faculty Librarians are designated librarians for your faculty, who can offer specialized help on your course assignment and research project. Make an appointment with your Faculty Librarian for in-depth assistance!
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2766-6863 |
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2766-6863 (service hours) |
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Online Form |
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Enquiry Counter, P/F, Pao Yue-kong Library |
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Contact your Faculty Librarians on in-depth research questions |
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.
| 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 | |
| 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.
PolyU ELC Reference Guides
APA Style
IEEE Style
MLA Style
Harvard Style
Chicago Style