Format: Whole books (Single or multiple authors)
Author Last name, First initials. (Year of publication). Title of book: Subtitle of the book. (edition if not first). Publisher. DOI (if available)
Examples:
Freire, P. (2021). Education for critical consciousness. Bloomsbury Academic.
Macintyre, T., Tilbury, D., & Wals, A. (2024). Education and learning for sustainable futures: 50 years of learning for environment and change. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003467007
Kleppner, D., Dourmashkin, P. A., & Ramsey, N. (2022). Quick calculus: A self-teaching guide. (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Format: Edited book
Editor, A. A., & Editor, B. B. (Eds.). (Year of publication). Title of book: Subtitle (edition if any). Publisher. DOI (if available)
Examples:
Golden, S. (Ed.). (2021). Business valuation case law yearbook. Business Valuation Resource
Hill, C., & Lamie, J. (Eds.). (2024). The evolving nature of universities: What shapes and influences identity in international higher education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003389361
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Use the abbreviation “(Ed.)” for one editor and the abbreviation “(Eds.)” for multiple editors, followed by a period.
Italicize the title of the book. Only capitalize the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon or dash (subtitle).
Mention the edition only if it’s not the first edition (e.g., 2nd ed., 4th ed.).
Do not include the place of publication.
If the book has a DOI, include it. If it doesn’t, include the publisher's website URL if applicable. Do not put a period after the DOI or URL.
Do not include the name of the database in the reference.
Format:
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Subtitle (edition if any, pp. pages of the chapter). Publisher. DOI (if available)
Examples:
Nyaronga, D. O., & Morreale, C.M. (2021). Assessing short-term study abroad. In E. A. Mikulec, S. Potempa & K. P. Inman (Eds.), Education abroad: Learning environments in a global context (pp. 145-164). Information Age.
Harrison, P., & Li, Y. (2022). Sustainable urban design practices. In A. Kumar & S. Patel (Eds.), Urban planning for the 21st century (pp. 120–140). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003123456
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Authors of the chapter are listed first; editors of the book appear after "In" with "(Ed.)" or "(Eds.)".
Page numbers of the chapter are included in parentheses after the book title.
Italicize the book title, but not the chapter title.
Only capitalize the first word of the chapter title, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon or dash (subtitle).
Mention the edition only if it’s not the first edition (e.g., 2nd ed., 4th ed.).
Do not include the place of publication.
If the book has a DOI, include it. If it doesn’t, include the publisher's website URL if applicable. Do not put a period after the DOI or URL.
Format:
Author Last name, First Initials. (Year of publication). Article title. Journal Title, volume number (issue number), page numbers. DOI.
Examples:
Print or online journal article without DOI:
Kohler, E. A., Elreda, L. M., & Tindle, K. (2023). Teachers’ Definitions of Successful Education Technology Implementation. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 55(5), 895–916.
Online journal article with DOI:
Yu, L., Wang, Y., Yao, X., & Gao, Y. (2024). Popularization of plant protection UAVs and farmers’ income increases: a quasinatural experiment. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 31(7), 873–891. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2024.2344826
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Journal article with more than two authors (up to 20 authors should be listed).
Name of the journal must be in title case (capitalize major words).
Use italics for the journal name and volume number.
Place in parentheses after the volume number (not italicized).
If the article is from an academic database and has no DOI, end the reference with the page range.
Format: Websites
Author Last name, First initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of page or article. Website Name. URL
Examples:
Smith, J. (2023, June 15). How to improve online learning. Education Today. https://www.educationtoday.org/improve-online-learning
World Health Organization. (2022, March 10). Climate change and health. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
Format: Online report / PDF
Author or Organization. (Year). Title of report: Subtitle if available. Publisher. URL
Examples:
United Nations. (2021). Global education monitoring report 2021: Non-state actors in education. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000376785
European Environment Agency. (2020). Air quality in Europe — 2020 report. https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/air-quality-in-europe-2020-report
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Use title case for website names and sentence case for page/article titles.
Italics are used for report titles, not web page titles.
Include the full date if available; otherwise, just the year.
If no individual author, use the organization as the author.
Always include the direct URL where the page/report can be found.
Format: Conference proceedings published as a whole book
Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of conference proceedings. Publisher. DOI
Examples:
Al Marri, K., Mir, F. A., Awad, A., & Abubakar, A. (Eds.). (2025). BUiD doctoral research conference 2024: Multidisciplinary studies. Vol. 587. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-84371-6
Format: Conference proceeding published as a book chapter
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of paper. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of proceedings (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. DOI
Examples:
Abumady, M. (2025). A comprehensive study on empowering high school students for career success in a government school in Sharjah. In K. Al Marri, F. A. Mir, A. Awad, & A. Abubakar. (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering: vol 587. BUiD Doctoral Research Conference 2024 (pp. 1-18). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-84371-6_1
Format: Conference proceedings published in a journal
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of paper. Title of Journal, volume(issue), pp. xx-xx. DOI
Examples:
Dubey, M., Kaushik, R., & Vats, R. (2020). Goods and service tax: A boon for Indian economy in 2020. Advanced Science, Engineering and Medicine, 12(12), pp. 1479–1483. https://doi.org/10.1166/asem.2020.2613
Format: Conference presentations
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day–Day). Title of presentation [Description of the presentation]. Name of Conference, Location. URL (if available)
Examples:
Smith, J. R. (2023, March 12–14). Innovations in sustainable architecture [Conference presentation]. International Conference on Green Building, Dubai, UAE.
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Format: Published Online Thesis/Dissertation (with DOI or URL)
Published dissertation or thesis is when it is available from a database (ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, PDQT Open, or any institutional repository, or an archive).
Author Last name, First initials. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation (Publication number if any) [Master’s thesis / Doctoral dissertation, Name of Institution]. Database/repository name. DOI or URL
Examples:
Dissertation/Thesis from a database
Roemmele, M. (2018). Neural networks for narrative continuation (Publication No. 22621448) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Dissertation/Thesis from a repository
Bdeir, R. (2015). nbsp;Teacher Effectiveness: A Case Study Using Value-Added method to measure teacher effectiveness in one UK Curriculum School in Dubai [Master's dissertation, The British University in Dubai]. BSpace. http://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/763
Format: Unpublished dssertation or thesis
Author Last name, First initials. (Year). Title of thesis or dissertation [Unpublished Master’s thesis / Doctoral dissertation]. Name of Institution.
Examples:
Lee, A. M. (2021). Exploring sustainable architecture in urban environments [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. The British University in Dubai.
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Italicize the title of the thesis/dissertation.
Specify the type of work in parentheses: (Unpublished Master’s thesis) or (Doctoral dissertation).
Include the institution name.
For online theses/dissertations, include a DOI or direct URL if available.
Capitalize only the first word of the title, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon or dash (subtitle).
Format:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. URL
Examples:
Newspaper Article (Online)
Khan, R. (2024, August 5). Dubai launches green energy initiative. Gulf News. https://gulfnews.com/business
Newspaper Article (Print)
Perez, E. (2024, February 15). New AI tools are reshaping higher education. The New York Times, pp. A1, A4.
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Italicize the newspaper title.
If it is an online newspaper article, include the URL of the article at the end of the reference. If volume, issue, and/or page numbers for the article are missing, omit these elements from the reference.
If it is a print version of the newspaper article, provide the page or pages of the article after the newspaper title. Do not include the abbreviations “p.” or “pp.” before the page(s).
Use exact date of publication.
Page numbers only if it’s print.
For online articles, always include the URL (no period after the URL).
Format:
Author/Creator. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL
Examples:
CrashCourse. (2020, March 25). The history of globalization [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp6hzwi3iLE
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Use the name of the account that uploaded the video as the author.
Italicize the video title.
Add [Video] in square brackets after the title.
Always include the URL
The same citation style can be used for other platforms that host user-created videos.
Format: PowerPoint slides available online
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Website Name. URL
Examples:
James, R. (2023). Strategies for effective project management [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/
Format: PowerPoint slides from a classroom website/LMS
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Website Name/LMS. URL
Examples:
Smith, L. (2022). Introduction to organizational behavior [PowerPoint slides]. Blackboard@BUiD. https://blackboard.buid.ac.ae/
RULES TO REMEMBER:
If the slides are publicly available online (e.g., SlideShare, institution website), include the URL.
If the slides are from a classroom site or LMS (Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas, MS Teams, etc.) and not publicly accessible, treat them as personal communication → cite only in-text (not in the reference list).
Always include a description in square brackets → [PowerPoint slides].
Capitalize only the first word of the title and proper nouns.
If no individual author is named, use the organization or course instructor as the author.
For presentations you attended but can’t retrieve online, also cite as personal communication.
Format:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the image [Description]. Publisher/Website. URL
When You Need to Cite an Image
If the image is not your own (photographs, illustrations, graphs, charts, or any visual you did not create).
If the image is retrieved from a book, article, website, or social media.
If the image communicates essential information that supports your argument.
When You Do NOT Need to Cite
Your own original images (photos you took, charts you created, screenshots of your own work).
Common clip art or stock icons that are free and do not require attribution.
Decorative images used purely for design/visual appeal (not for academic content).
Examples:
Van Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Painting]. Museum of Modern Art. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802
Smith, J. (2020). Sunset over the desert [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/abc123xyz
RULES TO REMEMBER:
If the creator/author is not listed, begin with the title of the image.
Use square brackets for the type of image (e.g., [Photograph], [Painting], [Infographic], [Digital image]).
Use the site name (e.g., Unsplash, Pixabay, NASA, Museum of Modern Art) as the source.
Include a retrieval date if the content is likely to change (e.g., on social media platforms).
Before you start using AI tools, consult with your module instructor to check if they are permitted for use in your work.
Most publishers do not require AI tools to be formally referenced. Instead, you should:
Format:
Author. (Date). Title (Month Day version) [Additional Descriptions]. Source.
Examples:
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
Microsoft. (2025). Copilot in Microsoft Word [Generative AI tool]. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot
RULES TO REMEMBER:
Always include the author/organization (e.g., OpenAI, Google) and the AI tool name and version.
Indicate the type of AI output in square brackets (e.g., [Large language model], [AI-generated image], [ChatGPT, Mar 23 version]).
Include the URL where the AI content was generated or retrieved.
When the publisher and author names are identical, omit the publisher's name in the source element of the reference and proceed directly to the URL.