Humanities and Creative Writing Subject Guide: Organize & cite your sources

Manage your sources

Everyone will approach the collection and organization of research sources in different ways to suit their own preferences. However, the following advice generally applies:

• For electronic sources, download copies and back them up to the cloud
• For every source, take good notes and record page number references for text that you want to quote/paraphrase
• Ensure that you record sufficient details about each source so you can cite it properly
• Use an online research manager to help you (see below)

 Cite your sources

Writing in English

HMW students will commonly be asked to use the Modern Language Association (MLA) reference style to cite their sources. In MLA style, you should first briefly credit sources with parenthetical citations in the text of your paper, and then include a complete citation to each source in the works cited list at the end of your paper.

Click here for the Library's guide to MLA Style   

The Library's guide is based on the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook.

Writing in Chinese

There are no standardized Chinese citation styles. The key is to be consistent in the way you cite. 

We have provided a few examples of style guides on the Library's Citation Guide for your reference. 

We strongly recommend that you consult with your professor as to which style is acceptable for your assignments and papers. 

 Online research managers

Organizing and citing your sources can be challenging, but fortunately there are several free online tools to help you. These allow you to:

• Save copies of the sources that you have found, and back them up to the cloud
• Make notes and highlights on PDF copies that you have saved
• Automatically generate in-text citations and bibliographies

The Library recommends the following tools:

EndNote Guide (Citation Management Tool)