LibGuides: Writing Guides and Manuals: Citing Sources

Why Cite?

Some Reasons Why Scholars Cite

To give credit to other's work and ideas (and to avoid plagiarism)
To show readers which ideas you have taken to build your own argument. (So your arguments are not “empty claims”.)
To guide readers to track and examine the sources by themselves

Source: Lipson, C. (2006). Cite right a quick guide to citation styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the sciences, professions, and more. University of Chicago Press.

Note: You need to cite sources in your writing even you use someone else's ideas, data, methodologies, illustrations, etc; it does not matter what format they are in and whether they are copyrighted or freely accessible on the Web.

What is a citation?

How to Cite?

When scholars cite, they usually follow a particular citation style (i.e. standard format for listing references). Style varies across disciplines.

Two commonly used citation styles used in HKUST are APA 7th and IEEE. Watch the videos below to learn more:

How to Cite in APA 7th Style:

Learn more details in APA style guide.

How to Cite in IEEE Style:

Learn more details in IEEE style guide.