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The Library has developed a number of short 'how-to' Citation Style Guides. Please verify with your instructor which format (and edition) he/she prefers.

Interested in citing AI sources such as ChatGPT? Scroll down to see the stand-alone document on citing resources in this quickly evolving area.

Check with your instructor to make sure that use of generative AI sources, such as ChatGPT, is permissible for your assignments. As this is a new technology, citation standards may change over time.

Official Citation Websites:

Other Resources:

The following websites provide support and examples for a variety of citation styles. Note: your professor may have his or her own specific preferences for citing.

Online citation generators will create citations for you, usually in two ways:

• Look up a source (article, book, etc.), choose a citation style, get the citation
• Fill in a form with details about the source, choose a citation style, get the citation 

These tools can save you time, but it is important to check for errors and missing information. 

• Most Library databases have a Cite option. Find a source, then look for a button or link to create a citation.
• In Microsoft Word, you can add citations using the References tab.

More citation tools:

The APA style manual does not have a format for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. The NorQuest College Library has developed this citation style in response to this need and we thank them for allowing us to share this information. This section of the guide is based on the NorQuest College Library templates, which were created by librarian Lorisia McLeod (James Smith Cree Nation) and NorQuest Elders.

These templates are for community-based research when citing an Elder and/or Knowledge Keeper as an information source NOT research participant. See the APA 7th edition style guide for citing other resources.

In-Text Citations

Unlike other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the reference list. The in-text citation format should follow the same guidelines as noted in the paraphrase and direct quote tabs: 

Delores Cardinal described the nature of the... (2004).

OR

The nature of the place was... (Cardinal, 2004).

Reference List

The citation format for the reference list follows the following format:

Last name, First initial., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. Where they live if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. personal communication. Month Date, Year.

For example:

Cardinal, D., Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. personal communication. April 4, 2004.

Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time. This may include discussing how they would like to be known in a citation, and what information is okay to be shared.

The MLA style manual does not have a format for Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. The NorQuest College Library has developed this citation style in response to this need and we thank them for allowing us to share this information.

In-text Citations

Unlike most other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the reference list. The in-text citation format should be formatted as:

Delores Cardinal described the nature of the...

OR

The nature of the place was... (Cardinal).

Reference List

The citation format for the reference list follows the following format:

Last name, First name., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Date Month Year. 

Cardinal, Delores., Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.

Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time. This may include discussing how they would like to be known in a citation, and what information is okay to be shared.

Broken or dead links in an article, whether to resources cited as part of the research process or to datasets, are a common problem. Work-arounds such as using DOIs or archived links can help solve this issue.

Most scholarly resources, like articles, have something called a DOI (a 10 digit Digital Object Identifier). Where available, cite to the DOI rather than to the article's URL e.g. use https://doi.org.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/10.1108/GKMC-06-2019-0067. Most reference styles, like APA, MLA and McGill, recommend using a DOI where one is available. The DOI is usually found on the first page of the article.

Not all materials will have a DOI though, particularly those that are non-scholarly. In that case, you can capture the URL in a web archive, like Internet Archive's Wayback Machine (use their Save Page Now option) or a resource like Perma.cc (offer limited free access).

Follow your preferred citation style's recommendations for citing archived URLs. You may also choose to include it at the end of your formal citation, although you would need to check with your professor (or publisher if submitting an item for publication) first for their preferences.

Additional reading:

Davis, R. C. (2024, February 26). How to Future-proof Your Bibliographies Against Link Rot. Choice Libtech Insights. https://web/20240416152441/https://www.choice360.org/libtech-insight/how-to-future-proof-your-bibliographies-against-link-rot/

This guide was created by Ontario Tech Libraries and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License, except where otherwise noted.