A citation style defines the necessary information for a citation, how the information is ordered, and what format citations should follow. If you're not sure, check with your instructor. In PolyU, citation styles commonly used by various disciplines are listed below:
| Subject | Commonly used citation style |
| Applied Science & Textiles (FAST) | APA / Harvard |
| Business (FB) | APA / Harvard |
| Construction & Environment (FCE) | IEEE / Harvard |
| Engineering (FENG) | IEEE / APA |
| Health Sciences & Social Sciences (FHSS) | APA |
| Humanities (FH) | APA / MLA |
| School of Design (SD) | APA |
| School of Hotel & Tourism Management (SHTM) | APA |
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.