Citing & Referencing

Citing and referencing your sources is essential when you’re writing your assignments, because failure to do so is plagiarism. There are lots of different citation styles used in DCU; check your course handbook to find out which one you're required to apply. Each citation style has a style guide that shows you how to use it. 

This page provides links to style guides we recommend you bookmark for quick reference, where to find help, and details of how to get started with Zotero - an open source reference manager that can help you out when you have lots of sources to keep track of. 

 

Check out this video which explains some of the principles behind citing and referencing - which together are your best means of avoiding plagiarism.


DCU Library subscribes to Cite Them Right Online, an excellent resource which will help you to reference correctly and avoid plagiarism.

Cite Them Right will show you how to format references and citations for many different sources (books, e-books, online articles, websites, etc.) in a number of styles including Harvard, APA 6th and 7th editions,Chicago, IEEE, MHRA, MLA, and OSCOLA.

Approach Cite Them Right with the type of source you wish to cite and reference, then choose a citation style from a drop-down list.

There is also an accompanying text book and we have several copies in the Library; check Library Search for availability

APA 7th ed.

This short video shows you how to cite & reference a chapter in an edited book in APA 7th ed. Style


Chicago

This short video shows how to cite and reference a book and a journal article in Chicago style using style guide Cite Them Right.


Harvard

This short video shows you how to cite & reference a journal article in Harvard style.


IEEE

This short video shows you how to cite & reference a journal article in IEEE style


IHS (Irish Historical Studies)

This short video shows you how to cite and reference a book, a chapter in an edited book, and a journal article in IHS style.


MLA

This short video shows you how to cite and reference using the MLA stye.


MHRA (with footnotes)

This short video shows you how to cite & reference a book and a journal article in MHRA (footnote) style. 

    MHRA (author-date system)

    This short video shows you how to cite & reference a chapter in an edited book in MHRA style using the author-date system.


    OSCOLA

    This short video shows you how to cite & reference a case and a journal article in OSCOLA style.


    Vancouver

    This short video shows you how to cite & reference a journal article in Vancouver style.

    Zotero Reference Manager allows users to easily cite and reference sources when doing assignments. Create an account and use it to save your references when you have a lot to keep track of. 

    Although reference management tools like Zotero save a huge amount of time, it is still extremely important to know how to cite and reference manually so that you can correct them when you need to.

    Here is a DCU Library Guide - Zotero to help you get started.

    Cite Them Right Website

    There’s lots of help on the Cite Them Right website (you will need to enter your DCU username & password to access)

    LETS online tutorial

    If you want to learn more about what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, how to cite and reference as well as good paraphrasing tips. Check out the LETScite section of the Library online tutorial LETS. Available on Loop. 

    Classes & Workshops

    Check the Library Classes and Workshops calendar.

    Subject Librarians

    Contact your Subject Librarian directly with your citing & referencing questions.

    Citing & Referencing Query Form

    If you’re still not sure about something or have a more complex query please fill out our online form.