Styles for Citing Sources

Citation styles differ mostly in the location, order, and syntax of information about references. The number and diversity of citation styles reflect different priorities with respect to concision, readability, dates, authors, publications, and, of course, style.

There are also two major divisions within most citation styles: documentary-note style and parenthetical style. Documentary-note style is the standard form of documenting sources. It involves using either footnotes or endnotes so that information about your sources is readily available to your readers but does not interfere with their reading of your work.

In the parenthetical style, sometimes called the "author-date" style or "in-text" style, references to sources are made in the body of the work itself, through parentheses. An example of this would be the following sentence, taken from page 23 of a book written by Professor Scott in 1999:

Professor Scott asserts "environmental reform in Alaska in the 1970s accelerated rapidly as the result of pipeline expansion." (Scott 1999, 23)

This is generally considered an abbreviated form of citation, and it does not require footnotes or endnotes, although it does require the equivalent of a "Works Cited" page at the end of the paper. It is easier to write, but might interfere with how smoothly your work reads. See your instructor for information on which form, documentary-note style or parenthetical style, is appropriate for your paper.

With so many different citation styles, how do you know which one is right for your paper? First, we strongly recommend asking your instructor. There are several factors which go into determining the appropriate citation style, including discipline (priorities in an English class might differ from those of a Psychology class, for example), academic expectations (papers intended for publication might be subject to different standards than mid-term papers), the research aims of an assignment, and the individual preference of your instructor.

If you want to learn more about using a particular citation style, we have provided links to more specific resources below. Just choose the appropriate discipline from the menu on the left, or scroll down until you find the style that interests you.

Humanities

1. Chicago

   Writer’s Handbook: Chicago Style Documentation http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html

   Excellent FAQ on Usage in the Chicago Style http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/new/new_questions01.html

   Online! Guide to Chicago Style http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html

2. MLA (Modern Language Association)

   Writer’s Handbook: MLA Style Documentation http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocMLA.html

   The Documentation Style of the Modern Language Association http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

   MLA Citation Style http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/mla.html

   Online! Guide to MLA Style http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html

3. Turabian (an academic style that works in other disciplines as well)

   Turabian bibliography samples; based on the 6th edition of Turabian's  Manual. http://www.ithaca.edu/library/course/turabian.html

   Turabian Style: Sample Footnotes and Bibliographic Entries (6th edition) from Bridgewater State College http://www.bridgew.edu/library/

Sciences

1. ACS (American Chemical Society)

   ACS Citation Style Examples http://www.nwmissouri.edu/library/citing/turabian.htm

2. AMA (American Medical Society)

   AMA Style Guide http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/ama.html

   AMA Citation Style http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citama.htm

3. CBE (Council of Biology Editors)

   Writer’s Handbook: CBE Style Documentation http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocCBE.html

   Online! Guide to CBE Style http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite8.html

   CBE Citation Guide http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/guides/cbegd.html

4. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

   Handbook: Documentation IEEE Style http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/handbook-docum1b.html

   Sample IEEE Documentation Style for References http://www.carleton.ca/~nartemev/IEEE_style.html

5. NLM (National Library of Medicine)

   NLM Style Guide http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/nlm.html

   Citing the Internet: A Brief Guide http://nnlm.gov/pnr/news/200107/netcite.html

   National Library of Medicine Recommended Formats for Bibliographic Citation (PDF format) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/formats/internet.pdf

6. Vancouver (Biological Sciences)

   Detailed Explanation of the Vancouver style (PDF) www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/vancouv.pdf

Social Sciences

1. AAA (American Anthropological Association)

   Citations and Bibliographic Style for Anthropology Papers http://www.usd.edu/anth/handbook/bib.htm

2. APA (American Psychological Association)

   Writer’s Handbook: APA Style Documentation http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html

   Online! Guide to APA Style http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

3. APSA (American Political Science Association)

   Writer’s Handbook: APSA Documentation http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPSA.html

Legal Style

Cornell University’s Introduction to Basic Legal Citation http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/

Legal Research and Citation Style in the USA http://www.rbs0.com/lawcite.htm

Other

General info on citing web documents http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html