Citation Styles
In general, there are two methods used in academia for sharing citations:
- Abbreviated in-text citations with a list of sources at the end of the paper
- Endnotes or footnotes usually with a bibliography at the end of the paper
Depending on your field of study, writing citation styles vary. A style guide describes the standards for writing and for the format of your documents or papers. There are three major citation styles used on the Ann Arbor campus:
- APA: is the style supported by the American Psychological Association, and is typically used by the social sciences, education, and sciences.
- Chicago: short for Chicago Manual of Style, this style is typically used in history, philosophy, religion, and the arts.
- MLA: stands for the Modern Language Association, which is the style used in the humanities, such as literature and history.
Many other organizations, such as the Council of Science Editors (CSE), the American Medical Association (AMA), or the American Chemical Society (ACS) have their own citation styles. Check the organizations' webpages or publications for details.
Many style manuals are available in print in the various libraries on campus. Use Library Catalog Search to find ones of interest. If you're not sure what citation style to use, ask your instructor.
Helpful Definitions
Citation: The basic, necessary information needed to locate the work. The citation style (e.g. MLA, APA) dictates the order and format of the information, but the basic elements necessary such as title, author, publication date, etc., are generally universal.
In-text Citation: An attribution to quoted or summarized material used within the text of the paper. Contains a limited amount of information which varies by style.
Bibliography: List of all the citations referred to in your paper, usually at the end of the paper. MLA calls this a Works Cited page, while APA labels the reference list as References.
Annotated Bibliography: List of the citations along with a brief summary and evaluation of each work.
Parts of Citations
When creating and compiling citations, it's helpful to know the various elements required in a citation.
Parts of a citation for a book:
Handbooks and Manuals
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition by ISBN: 9780226287058Publication Date: 2017-09-05This seventeenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style offers updated guidelines on electronic workflows and publication formats, tools for PDF annotation and citation management, web accessibility standards, and effective use of metadata, abstracts, and keywords. The citation chapters reflect the ever-expanding universe of electronic sources--including social media posts and comments, private messages, and app content--and also offer updated guidelines on such issues as DOIs, time stamps, and e-book locators.
MLA Handbook by ISBN: 9781603292627Publication Date: 2016-04-01The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, the official guide to MLA format. This is an indispensable resource in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by ISBN: 9781433832161Publication Date: 2019-10-01The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. It is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields.
