What is a Citation Style Guide?
Style guides or manuals go beyond listing how to format a citation to a source. They establish standards for consistency in writing: grammar, punctuation, and layout. They discuss how to present tables and figures, how to format headings and page numbers, which words to capitalize or abbreviate, and what nomenclature to use in a field.
Consulting these aspects of a style guide before beginning to write can save time and lead to better communication.
Citation Management Software
The Library has help guides and tutorials on using two different Citation Management Software tools for researching and writing papers. These tools can help you format citations and create bibliographies following the rules of most citation styles.
Zotero is the Library's preferred software and the one that we currently teach in classes. Zotero is a good choice because it integrates with most word processors, including Google Docs, runs on all desktop operating systems, and has strong collaboration tools.
Mendeley may be a good choice in some situations, especially if you need to store and organize a large collection of references.
ACS - American Chemical Society
ACS - American Chemical Society
Used extensively in chemistry.
The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication by
Call Number: Available online at link abovePublication Date: 2020
AIP - American Institute of Physics
This is a common citation style used in the field of Physics.
AMA - American Medical Association
AMA - American Medical Association
Used in medicine
AMA MANUAL of STYLE, 11th EDITION by
Call Number: Library Services Desk WZ345 A511 2020ISBN: 9780190246556Publication Date: 2020-03-02
- AMA Style : Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)Please note that there is a link to a citation generator on this page that is not free or recommended. Quick Tip: Many databases have the capability to generate citations for you. Look for icons with the terms "cite" or "citation" next to them, but always be sure to copy edit the citation as these are not always accurate.
APA - American Psychological Association
APA - American Psychological Association
Generally used in psychology, education, nursing, occupational therapy, and the social sciences
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition
Call Number: Library Services Desk BF76.7 .P83 2020ISBN: 9781433832161Publication Date: 2019Concise Guide to APA Style by Concise Guide to APA Style, Seventh Edition is the official APA Style resource for students. Designed specifically for undergraduate writing, this easy-to-use pocket guide is adapted from the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. It provides complete guidance for new writers on effective, clear, and inclusive scholarly communication and the essentials of formatting papers and other course assignments. New to This Edition: full color throughoutcontent relevant to a range of majors and courses, including psychology, social work, criminal justice, communications, composition, education, business, engineering, and morea new chapter focused on student papersa sample student title page, paper, and annotated bibliographystreamlined APA Style headings and in-text citationsa new chapter on writing style and grammarchapters on punctuation, lists, italics, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, numbers, and statisticsthe latest bias-free language guidelinesnew sample tables and figuresguidance on avoiding plagiarism and self-plagiarismnew reference templates and examples
Call Number: Reference: Desk BF76.7 .C66 2020ISBN: 9781433832734Publication Date: 2019-12-01
- APA Style : Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)Please note that there is a link to a citation generator on this page that is not free or recommended. Quick Tip: Many databases have the capability to generate citations for you. Look for icons with the terms "cite" or "citation" next to them, but always be sure to review the citation as these are not always accurate.
- Zbib (Zoterobib) citation generatorZoterobib will format your citation in APA style with a unique article ID or the title. Be sure to select American Psychological Association 7th edition under the Bibliography heading before you search for your article! Don't forget to double check the Zoterobib citation to be sure it is correct.
APS - American Physical Society
This is a common citation style used in the field of Physics.
ASA - American Sociological Association
ASA - American Sociological Association
Used in Sociology
- American Sociological Association Style Guide byCall Number: HM569 .A54 2022ISBN: 9780912764580Publication Date: 2022-06-01
Biology Style Guides
Writing required by courses in the life sciences follows styles described in the following two books. You can view this Guide to Citing Sources - Biology for more details and examples of citations.
Other options might be the APA Style Guide or CSE Style Guide but check with your professor to be sure.
A Short Guide to Writing about Biology by
Call Number: Call Number: Library Services Desk: QH304.P43 2013ISBN: 9780205075072Publication Date: 2013Eighth editionWriting Papers in the Biological Sciences by
Call Number: Call Number: Library Services Desk: Desk QH304 .M36 2001ISBN: 0312258577Publication Date: 2001Third edition
Chicago Manual of Style
Chicago Manual of Style
Generally used in history, business and some of the fine arts
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition by
Call Number: Library Services Desk Z253 .U69 2017ISBN: 9780226287058Publication Date: 2017-09-05
CSE - Council of Science Editors
CSE - Council of Science Editors
Used in the sciences, especially the biological and life sciences.
Scientific Style and Format, 7th Edition by
Call Number: Bookstacks T11 .S386 2006ISBN: 097796650XPublication Date: 2006
A Handbook For Historians
A Handbook For Historians
A Handbook for Historians by
Call Number: Library Services Desk LB2369 .L36 2009Publication Date: 2009
Legal Citation Style - The BlueBook
The Bluebook
Used in law.
The BlueBook: A Uniform System of Citation, 20th Edition
Call Number: Library Service Desk KF245 .B58 2015ISBN: 892559837XPublication Date: 2015Older editions can be found in the bookstacks
MLA - Modern Language Association
MLA - Modern Language Association
Generally used in the humanities disciplines of languages, literatures, and the arts.
MLA Handbook by
Call Number: Library Services Desk LB2369 .G53 2021ISBN: 9781603293518Publication Date: 2021-04-06