Choosing a Style 101
Common Citations:
APA (American Psychological Association)
Chicago Manual of Style (2 types: Notes and Bibliography & Author-Date)
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Chicago Manual of Style (2 types: Notes and Bibliography & Author-Date)
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Resource from the University Library at American University
Don't Know Which Citation Style You Need to Use?
"Each discipline tends to use one or two styles:"
Anthropology - use Chicago
Art History - use Chicago or Turabian Arts Management - use Chicago Biology - use CSE (Council of Science Editors) Business - use APA , Chicago or Harvard Business School Chemistry - use ACS (American Chemical Society) Communications - use MLA Computing Science - use Chicago Criminology - use APA or Chicago Education - use APA History - use Chicago or Turabian International Studies - use APA, APSA (American Political Science Association), or Chicago Journalism - use AP (Associated Press) or APA |
Law & Legal Studies - use Bluebook Law Review, Maroonbook or ALWD
Linguistics - use APA, MLA or LSA (Linguistic Society of America) Literature - use MLA Mathematics - use AMS (American Mathematical Society) Medicine - use AMA (American Medical Association) or NLM (National Library of Medicine) Music - use Turabian or Chicago Philosophy - use MLA or Chicago Physics - use AIP Political Science - APSA (American Political Science Association) Psychology - use APA Religion - use MLA or Chicago Sociology - use ASA Theater - use MLA or Chicago |
Resource from the University Libraries at the University of Washington
Which citation style should I use?
"The citation style you choose will largely be dictated by the discipline in which you're writing, and for most assignments your instructor will assign a style to you."
Humanities: English, Art History, Philosophy, Music, Religion, Language, Linguistics, Etc.
Try: MLA
MLA style uses parenthetical in-text citations and a "Works Cited" list at the end of a paper to link sources The humanities place emphasis on authorship and interpreting primary sources in a historical context. The author's name is the first piece of information preceding title and publication information on the "Works Cited" list at the end of the work.
For more information on the MLA style and how to use it, check out the MLA style page.
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Social Sciences, Education, Engineering, etc.
Try: APA
APA style uses parenthetical in-text citations and a "References" list at the end of the paper to link sources These disciplines place emphasis on the date of creation or publication, in an effort to track currency and relevancy. The date is listed immediately following the author's name in the "References" list.
For more information on the APA style and how to use it, check out the APA style page.
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History, or the Humanities
Try: Chicago Notes & Bibliography
Chicago notes utilizes footnotes and endnotes to link text to sources. Typically accompanied by a "Bibliography" page.
For more information on this style and how to use it, check out the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style page.
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Physical, Natural, or Social Sciences
Try: Chicago Author-Date
Chicago author-date utilizes parenthetical in-text citations and a references or works cited list at the end, similar to the APA style. Typically accompanied by a "References" or "Works Cited" page.
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