There are a number of different citation styles that are used in academic writing and determining which to use can be confusing. Typically your professor will let you know the preferred citation style for their class and/or your discipline. For in-depth information about citing your sources, visit the Library's Citation Research Guide. Purdue OWL is also a great resource for MLA and APA citation styles.
Below you will find a table of four common citation styles, followed by a list of less-common citation styles:
Citation Styles |
When to Use Them |
More Info at Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) |
Example Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLA- Modern Language Association | Literature and the humanities | MLA Formatting & Style Guide | MLA Example Paper |
| APA- American Psychological Association | Psychology, Business, Criminology, Economics, Education, and Sociology |
APA Style Guide (American Psychological Association) |
APA Sample Paper |
| Chicago | Humanities, history and social sciences | Chicago Style & Formatting Guide | Chicago Sample Paper |
| Chicago-Turabian | Humanities, history, social sciences and natural sciences (often selected when people do not know which style to use) | Chicago-Turabian Style & Formatting Guide | Chicago-Turabian Sample Paper |
Additional Citation Styles:
It is often possible to pull auto-generated citations directly from a database. Here is a tutorial video that explains how to pull a citation from OneSearch:
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