What citation style should I use?
The citation style to use depends on the subject or discipline you are working in, the requirements of your professor, or the regulations of the publication for which you are preparing material. The most common styles are:
MLA style, originated by the Modern Language Association, and used commonly by people in the humanities, communication, and sometimes in history.
APA style, originated by the American Psychological Association, and used commonly by people in the social sciences, and sometimes in humanities.
CHICAGO style, which descended from Turabian style, was developed at the University of Chicago. Used across many disciplines, but most commonly in the social sciences and humanities, although the humanities style is slightly different than the style used in the social sciences.
CBE style, by the Council of Biology Editors, is used, logically enough, in the natural sciences, although not by all persons writing in those areas.
There are a number of other styles to choose from, including styles for social work, sociology, and chemistry, and styles specific to a particular journal. However, the styles above are the most commonly used, and also ones for which we have manuals in the Reference collection.
|