Citation Guides

When you research, you read other people's ideas and publications. You use this information to write your own paper, always citing the original source. There are several acceptable methods for citing sources, and each individual professor or subject may have a favourite. This page provides some general information on different citations styles. Be sure to check with your instructor to identify the style required for your paper.

An excellent source for information on citing works is the Trent publication Notes on the Preparation of Essays in the Arts and Sciences (PN 147 .T73), available for sale in the bookstore or from the Academic Skills Centre. This book was written specifically for Trent students and it is very handy to have close by.

New for Fall 2010! Academic Skills Centre Documentation Guide. This is an online guide prepared specifically for Trent students. Use it to search by style or department and find instruction on how to cite sources in the major documentation styles.

The rules for citing are very specific and many cases will need careful reading to decide how to apply them. Several official style guide publications are kept on a wooden stand near the Reference section of the library, for your use. Extra copies or older versions might also be found on the regular stacks or on Reserve. Here are some of the popular titles we keep on hand:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, BF 76.7 .A46
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, PN 147 .G444
Chicago Manual of Style, Z 253 .U69 and now online
Columbia Guide to Online Style, PN 171 .F56 W35
AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors, R 119 .A533
MHRA Style Guide: A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses, PN 147 .M65
Notes on the Preparation of Essays in the Arts and Sciences, PN 147 .T73.

Some instructors will expect students to apply the style of a particular journal, in which case students should search for "Information for Authors" of that particular journal, in an online or print issue.

Did you know you can use when you begin doing your research, to store your citations as you find them and cite them as you write your paper? With the Write-N-Cite option in Word, you can insert citations into the text of your paper as you write it. When you're done, RefWorks will create your bibliography. You must use it from the beginning, though, because you need to have the citations stored in your account in order to use them. See more information on using RefWorks.