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Citation styles

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.

You may also wish to distribute examples of plagiarism and legitimate citation, and then go over the differences together. This will clarify some of the common misconceptions about plagiarism and reduce the likelihood of "honest mistakes," while at the same time showing how serious you are about the issue.

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. For more information on footnotes and endnotes, click here.

Professor Scott asserts that “environmental reform in Alaska in the 1970s accelerated rapidly as a 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.

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

Chicago

  1. Writer's Handbook: Chicago Style Documentation
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html
  2. Writer's Handbook: Chicago Style Documentation
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html
  3. Excellent FAQ on Usage in the Chicago Style
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html
  4. Excellent FAQ on Usage in the Chicago Style
    http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/
  5. Online! Guide to Chicago Style
    http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html
  6. Writer's Handbook: Chicago Style Documentation
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html
  7. Writer's Handbook: Chicago Style Documentation
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html

MLA (Modern Language Association)

  1. Writer's Handbook: MLA Style Documentation
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocMLA.html
  2. MLA Citation Style
    http://campusgw.library.cornell.edu/newhelp/res_strategy/citing/mla.html
  3. Online! Guide to MLA Style
    http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html

Sciences

ACS (American Chemical Society)

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

CBE (Council of Biology Editors)

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

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

  1. Handbook: Documentation IEEE Style
    http://www.ecf.utoronto.ca/~writing/handbook-docum1b.html
  2. Electrical Engineering Citation Style
    http://www.lehigh.edu/library/footnote/footee.html

NLM (National Library of Medicine)

  1. NLM Style Guide
    http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/nlm.html
  2. National Library of Medicine Recommended Formats for Bibliographic Citation (PDF format)
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/formats/internet.pdf

Vancouver (Biological Sciences)

  1. Introduction to the Vancouver Style
    http://www.sussex.ac.uk/library/infosuss/referencing/v_intro.shtml

Social Sciences

AAA (American Anthropological Association)

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

[Note: the AAA style is based on the Chicago style, so for specific questions not addressed in any of the AAA style guides, please use the links above or consult The Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition, 1993)]

APA (American Psychological Association)

  1. Writer's Handbook: APA Style Documentation
    http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html
  2. APA Style Electronic Format
    http://www.westwords.com/guffey/apa.html
  3. Online! Guide to APA Style
    http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
  4. APA Style.org
    http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

APSA (American Political Science Association)

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

Legal Style

  1. Legal Citation: Using and Understanding Legal Abbreviations
    http://library.queensu.ca/law/lederman/legalcit.htm
  2. Legal Research and Citation Style in the USA
    http://www.rbs0.com/lawcite.htm

Other

  1. General info on citing web documents
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Style.html
  2. Recommended Multi-Style Links
    http://www.aresearchguide.com/styleguides.html
    http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/

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