Citing Sources
Citation Guides, once primarily used when citing books and periodical articles, now also provide the rules for citing articles from subscription databases, Web pages, and other Internet documents.
Some of these documents are PDFs and require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Citing Sources Using APA
APA is the style manual of choice for many disciplines in the social sciences beyond just psychology.
- APA Citation Guide: Overview of 2007 Revisions (.pdf)
- APA Citation Guide: Articles from IC Library Databases (.pdf)
- APA Citation Guide: Web Sources (.pdf)
- APA Citation Guide: In-text Citations (.pdf)
- APA samples for a bibliography, from IC's Library Resources and Methods of Research Online Study Guide.
Citing Sources Using MLA
MLA is the style manual of choice for many disciplines in the humanities. However, it does have some some competition from Chicago, especially in the field of history.
- MLA Citation Guide: Articles from IC Library Databases
- MLA Citation Guide: Web Documents
- MLA Citation Guide: In-text Citations (.pdf)
Citing Sources Using Chicago/Turabian
Chicago is the style manual of choice for history and some other disciplines. Turabian, a simplified guide to the Chicago Manual of Style, is a popular choice at many undergraduate institutions regardless of discipline. Turabian and Chicago offer two documentation systems: 1) footnote/bibliography and 2) parenthetical reference/reference list. The systems are quite different, one more closely resembling MLA, and the other similar to APA. Be careful not to mix the two.
Footnote/Bibliography
- Turabian (6th Edition) samples for a bibliography, from IC's Library Resources and Methods of Research Online Study Guide. Examples of the parenthetical/reference list are not included.
- Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age: History: Chicago Style, by Diane Hacker.
Parenthetical Reference/Reference List
Citing Sources Using CBE
Scientific Style and Format is the style manual of the Council of Biology Editors. CBE is the style manual of choice for many disciplines in medicine, biology, and natural sciences. The manual is now in its seventh edition (2006). CBE offers two methods for citing and documenting sources: the citation-sequence system and the name-year system.
- Some excerpts of Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources are available online, including a chapter that addresses the CBE's two methods for citing and documenting sources. This source still refers to rules from the 6th edition.
- CBE rules for citing the Internet are based largely on the publication National Library of Medicine Recommended Formats for Bibliographic Citation (.pdf).
Citing Sources Using ASA
The ASA Style Guide is the style manual of the American Sociological Association. It is very similar to the APA Style Manual, with some exceptons, a few due to the fact that the manual was last updated in 1997.
- American Sociological Association's Quick Style Guide is based on the American Sociological Association Style Guide (1997) and serves as a quick reference for students preparing papers.
- Owl (Purdue) offers a few guides to ASA formatting, including in-text referencing, and References Page Formatting.
- Cal State's ASA Style Guide is another brief guide that includes a summary of format requirements and examples of citations.
Citing Sources Using ACS
The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information is the style manual of the American Chemical Society. It is currently in its third edition (2006). The guide offers two methods of in-text citation: a numbered system and an author/date system similar to that used by APA. The guide is kept at the reference desk (call number QD8.5 .A25 2006).
- A brief overview of ACS style is provided by ACS.
- The Chemistry Library at the University of Wisconsin, Madison offers a good online guide to using ACS.
- A short guide in pdf format is offered by Penn State.
