First, it's important that you use the citation style required by your assignment or professor (your syllabus or assignment guidelines/description should list the required citation style but if not, ask your professor).
If you are permitted to choose a citation style to use, it may be easiest to choose one of the most common citation styles. Below is a brief overview of the three most common citation styles (APA, MLA, and Chicago).
Common Citation Styles
APA
APA Style, currently in its 7th edition, is a citation protocol established by the American Psychological Association. APA is most often used in the disciplines of the social sciences, nursing, and business. It includes:
- the format & structure of your paper
- how you cite other authors within the body of your paper
- how you compile a references page at the end of your paper
For more information about APA Style, check out the FAQ How do I cite sources in APA style?.
MLA
MLA Style, currently in its 9th edition, is a citation protocol established by the Modern Language Association. MLA is most often used in the disciplines of the humanities, literature, foreign language and cultural studies. It includes:
- the format & page layout of your paper
- stylistic technicalities (e.g. abbreviations, footnotes, quotations)
- how you cite other authors within the body of your paper
- how you compile a references page at the end of your paper
For more information about MLA Style, check out the FAQ How do I cite sources in MLA style?.
Chicago
Chicago Style, currently in its 17th edition, is a citation protocol established by the University of Chicago. Chicago Style is most often used in the disciplines of history and religion. It includes:
- instruction for manuscript preparation and publication
- guidelines for style, grammar and usage
- rules for documenting your sources in-text including the Notes-Bibliography System (NB) and the Author-Date System
- guidelines for a Bibliography at the end of your paper
For more information about Chicago Style, check out the FAQ How do I cite sources in Chicago style?.
Citation Styles & Fields of Study or Profession
You may also want to choose a citation style based on the field of study you are working in. Here is a brief list of some major disciplines and the citation styles most commonly associated with them:
CITATION STYLE | FIELD OF STUDY OR PROFESSION |
---|---|
AAA (American Anthropological Association) Full access pdf - free | Anthropology |
ACS (American Chemical Society) Free access | Chemistry |
AIP ( American Institute of Physics) Preparing your manuscript guide | Physics |
ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) and Blue Book Information about guide - no free access Introduction to Basic Legal Citation (online ed. 2019) by Peter W. Martin | Legal Studies |
AMA (American Medical Association) Full access with mySNHU login credentials - free | Medical Sciences |
AMS (American Mathematical Society) Full access pdf - free | Mathematics |
AP (Associated Press) Information about guide - no free access | Journalism Public Relations |
APA (American Psychological Association) APA Guide Purdue OWL | Business Criminology Economics Education Psychology Social Sciences Sociology |
APSA (American Political Science Association) Full access pdf - free | International Studies Political Science |
ASA (American Sociological Association) Information about guide - no free access ASA Guide Purdue OWL | Sociology |
Chicago Manual of Style Quick guide access - free (not full manual) Chicago Manual of Style Purdue OWL | Humanities History Religion Social Sciences |
CSE (Council of Science Editors) Information about guide - no free access CSE Guide by U of Wisconsin Writing Center | Biology |
Harvard Business School Full access pdf - free | Business |
LSA Style Sheet Full access pdf - free | Linguistics |
Maroonbook (The University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation) Full access pdf - free | Legal Studies |
MLA (Modern Language Association) Information about guide - no free access | Humanities Literature |
NLM (National Library of Medicine) Full access website and pdf - free | Medical Publications |
Turabian Quick guide access - free (not full manual) | Humanities Natural Sciences Social Sciences |
Further Help
Campus Students
To access academic support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.
Online Students
To access help with citation and more, visit Academic Support via modules in Brightspace: