Education - Research Approaches and Materials
Citing your sources
When do you need to cite?
The quick video below explains clearly when and how you need to cite.
APA (American Psychological Association ) Style
Education and many Social Science disciplines use APA rules for how to cite works you reference in your paper. 
The rules are found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, now in its 6th edition. The full manual is not available online but there's a helpful online quick reference guide (particularly useful for citing electronic formats).
- Getting started with APA citation styleLots of examples of citing different kinds of materials, from UBC Library
- Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) - APA Formatting and Style GuideClick on the left-hand menu to find examples of how to cite many different formats of materials, both within your paper and in your reference list. Or use the search box to find answers to specific questons.
- APA Style Guide to Electronic ResourcesWhile the library doesn't have electronic access to the entire APA Publications Manual, it does to the guide to electronic resources - which often is what you're needing.
- Missing Pieces: How to Write an APA Style Reference Even Without All the InformationDescribes how to cite references when elements like author, title or date (or all three elements) are missing.
Tired of typing out your reference list? Try the citation generator site below:
Select the citation style you need. Tell it whether to search for a book or article, then copy and paste (or type in) the title and select it from the results list. It generates the citation and shows you the correct in-text reference. Use the 'copy and paste' feature to put your references into a Word document. DOUBLE CHECK that everything is correct though - especially that capitalization rules have been followed.
EXAMPLES:
- Measuring characteristics of teacher professional development (article by Soine and Lumpe, 2014)
- Teachers learning: Professional development and education (book by McLaughlin, 2013)
- Getting the most out of school-based initial teacher education: Professional development possibilities for teachers (article by Carney, 2000)
OR
Use a journal database to generate citations
Often there's button you can click to see what the citation for an article should look like. Copy and paste this BUT make sure you know what a correctly APA formatted citation looks like, so you can correct any errors in what you're copying.
This image shows where to find the citation button in ERIC and the resulting citation in APA format.
Citing Digital Multimedia - Including Images
The most important thing is that all sources must be attributed (cited) - even those you've created yourself. Learn more about citing digital materials using the links below.
- Finding and using online images: CitingA more detailed explanation of how to cite, in-text and in your reference list, in both MLA and APA styles (from Simon Fraser University). It includes examples of the captions to use beneath photos designate photos as 'figures' and put a caption beneath the photo showing the full citation).
- How to Cite a Digital ImageBrief guidelines and examples about how to cite a physical or a digital photograph in APA style.