A citation is like a code: it identifies an idea that the writer has gotten from someone else.
A citation is made up of several key components: author, date, title of the article/book chapter, where the work appears, and page number(s). Essentially, it should contain all the information a reader would need to locate that resource themselves.
The format of a given citation will be dictated by the type of resource it is.
Good question! And the answer to it is that it depends.
The format of your citations will vary depending on:
The Library has created the series of citation guides to help you navigate the world of citation.