A reference providing information about where a particular quotation, text, etc., is to be found; a bibliographical reference. [Oxford English Dictionary]
In general, citations help readers to locate your sources of information, as well as avoid plagiarism.
PolyU is concerned about academic honesty and is committed to helping you learn how to avoid plagiarism. Turnitin is a text similarity detection tool to help you avoid plagiarism.
As a student, you will not be able to create an account - your instructor will create a Turnitin assignment link for you to submit your assignment. The link will be available on the course page in LEARN@PolyU(理學網).
Need help? Refer to this step by step guide: https://edc.polyu.edu.hk/PSP/SG_Turnitin.pdf
Contact ITS Hot Line (2766 5900) if you need technical support.
Check out other resources for preventing plagiarism:
The following are the top 10 publishers which PolyU researchers have their works published across various subject areas in the recent 5 years. [Data from Scopus]
1. Elsevier
2. IEEE
3. Springer
4. Wiley
5. Taylor & Francis
6. Sage
7. Royal Society of Chemistry
8. Emerald
9. American Institute of Physics
10. American Chemical Society
If you are writing a paper for a journal, always check the citation style requirements from that specific journal, because different journal (or publisher) may use different citation styles.
You may refer to the following examples:
1. Elsevier
2. Springer
3. Wiley
The Library offers several reference management tools: EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero (which are freeware). Understand the features of these tools from this page and choose a proper tool to organize your citations and references. Refer to this EndNote FAQ if you encounter any problems with EndNote.
The citation style you use depends on your discipline. If you're not sure, check with your professor. Citation styles commonly used by various disciplines are listed below:
| Subject | Commonly used citation style |
| Applied Science & Textiles (FAST) | APA / Harvard |
| Construction & Environment (FCE) | IEEE / Harvard |
| Engineering (FENG) | IEEE |
| Health Sciences (FHSS) | APA |
| Social Sciences (FHSS) | APA |
| Humanities (FH) | APA / MLA |
| School of Design (SD) | APA |
| School of Hotel & Tourism Management (SHTM) |
APA |
Two parts of a citation:
1. In-text citation
2. References
Reference list should be
Example 1 (e-Journal Article)
Au, N., & Law, R. (2002). Categorical classification of tourism dining.
Annals of Tourism Research, 29(3), 819-833.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(01)00078-0
Example 2 (Print Book)
Walker, J. R. (2016). Exploring the hospitality industry (3rd ed.).
Boston: Pearson.
Example 3 (Chapter in an Edited Book)
Hirst, J. (2016). Can hotels educate consumers about sustainability?
In M. A. Gardetti & A. L. Torres (Eds.), Sustainability in hospitality :
How innovative hotels are transforming the industry (pp. 156-178).
UK: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.
Example 4 (Online Newspaper Article)
Anonymous. (2016, May 17). Paradise lost: World's most beautiful places
under threat of tourism. BBC News. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36313139
Example 5 (Webpage)
Pacific Asia Travel Association. (2016, March 30). Linking sustainability
targets to bonuses. Retrieved from
http://sustain.pata.org/linking-sustainability-targets-bonuses/
Example 6 (YouTube Video)
Urban Herne. (2014, March 31). Principles of sustainable tourism
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/rT6P2N_x-Mc
Many databases provide quick link to citation style, you can simply "copy" the citation from your search result list and "paste" to your document. The following are a few examples of copying APA citation (6th edition) from online sources:
1. OneSearch
2. ProQuest
