Citation Style Guides
Learn how to cite sources in different academic styles
📚 General Citation Principles
Citations serve two essential purposes: they give credit to the original authors and allow readers to locate your sources. While each citation style has unique formatting rules, they all share common principles:
- Accuracy: All information must be correct and verifiable
- Consistency: Use the same style throughout your paper
- Completeness: Include all required elements for each source type
- Proper formatting: Follow punctuation, capitalization, and spacing rules
🎯 Which Style Should You Use?
APA (American Psychological Association)
Psychology, Education, Social Sciences, Nursing, Business
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Literature, Languages, Arts, Humanities
Chicago
History, Fine Arts, some Humanities, Publishing
Harvard
Business, Economics, some Sciences (UK universities)
IEEE
Engineering, Computer Science, Technology
APA Style Guide
7th Edition guidelines for social sciences, psychology, and education
Learn APA →MLA Style Guide
9th Edition guidelines for humanities, literature, and languages
Learn MLA →Chicago Style Guide
17th Edition guidelines for history and fine arts research
Learn Chicago →Harvard Style Guide
Author-date citation system used in UK universities
Learn Harvard →IEEE Style Guide
Numbered citation system for engineering and technology
Learn IEEE →💡 Quick Tips
- • Always check your instructor's or institution's specific requirements
- • Keep a running bibliography as you research to save time later
- • Use hanging indents for reference list entries (all styles)
- • Double-check author names, dates, and titles for accuracy
- • When in doubt, cite it! It's better to over-cite than under-cite