A citation style determines the information to include in the citation, the order of the information, the punctuation, and other formatting. Each discipline tends to use one or two citation styles. Always ask your professors which style they prefer.
Frequently-used citation styles:
- MLA - Used by many humanities disciplines, including languages and literature
- APA - Used by nursing, business, and the social sciences, including psychology, education, sociology, and economics
- Chicago / Turabian - Used by history and the arts
- CSE - Used by many disciplines in the natural sciences, including biology, geology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics
- AMA - Used by medicine, health, and the sciences
- APSA - Used by political science
For further information, see our Style Guides and Manuals Research Guide and the quick links below.