Different Types of Citations Styles

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By Kavita Dehalwar

Citation styles are crucial in academic writing for attributing sources, avoiding plagiarism, and guiding readers to original works. Different academic fields often prefer specific citation styles, each with unique formatting rules for in-text citations and reference lists. This chapter explores the most commonly used citation styles, their distinctive features, and guidelines for effectively using them in academic writing.

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1. APA (American Psychological Association)

Overview:

The APA style is widely used in social sciences, including psychology, sociology, education, and business. It emphasizes the author’s name and publication year, which helps readers quickly identify the currency and relevance of the sources.

Key Features:

  • In-text citations: Include the author’s last name and publication year.
  • References list: Alphabetized by the author’s last name, with each entry providing comprehensive publication details.

Guidelines:

  • In-Text Citations:
    • Format: (Author, Year)
    • Example: (Smith, 2020)
    • For direct quotes, include the page number: (Smith, 2020, p. 25).
  • References List:
    • Books: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.
      • Example: Smith, J. (2020). Understanding psychology. Academic Press.
    • Journal Articles: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number(issue number), page range.
      • Example: Brown, L., & Green, P. (2019). Cognitive development in early childhood. Journal of Child Psychology, 45(2), 100-115.
  • Website:

Resources:

2. MLA (Modern Language Association)

Overview:

The MLA style is commonly used in the humanities, particularly in literature, philosophy, and the arts. It focuses on the authorship and is designed to be straightforward and flexible for a variety of sources.

Key Features:

  • In-text citations: Include the author’s last name and page number.
  • Works Cited: Alphabetized by the author’s last name, with concise entries.

Guidelines:

  • In-Text Citations:
    • Format: (Author page number)
    • Example: (Smith 45)
    • No comma between the author’s name and page number.
  • Works Cited:
    • Books: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
      • Example: Smith, John. Understanding Literature. Literary Press, 2019.
    • Journal Articles: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. number, no. number, Year, pages.
      • Example: Brown, Laura. “Exploring Medieval Literature.” Journal of Literary Studies, vol. 32, no. 2, 2018, pp. 120-134.
  • Website:

Resources:

3. Chicago/Turabian

Overview:

The Chicago style is used in history and some social sciences, providing two systems: the notes-bibliography system (NB) for humanities and the author-date system for sciences. Turabian style is a simplified version for students and researchers.

Key Features:

  • Notes-Bibliography: Uses footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography.
  • Author-Date: Similar to APA with in-text citations and a reference list.

Guidelines:

  • Notes-Bibliography:
    • In-Text Citations: Use superscript numbers to reference footnotes or endnotes.
      • Example: Smith argues that…^1
    • Footnotes/Endnotes:
      • Books: Author’s First Name Last Name, Title of Book (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
        • Example: John Smith, Understanding History (New York: History Press, 2019), 45.
      • Journal Articles: Author’s First Name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Title of Journal volume number, issue number (Year): page number.
        • Example: Laura Brown, “Medieval Studies,” Journal of Historical Research 32, no. 2 (2018): 134.
    • Bibliography:
      • Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
        • Example: Smith, John. Understanding History. New York: History Press, 2019.
  • Author-Date:
    • In-Text Citations: (Author Year, page number)
      • Example: (Smith 2019, 45)
    • References:
      • Books: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Year. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher.
        • Example: Smith, John. 2019. Understanding History. New York: History Press.

Resources:

4. Harvard

Overview:

The Harvard style is used in various fields, including natural and social sciences. It emphasizes author-date citations, making it similar to the APA style but with slight variations.

Key Features:

  • In-text citations: Include the author’s last name and publication year.
  • Reference list: Alphabetized by the author’s last name.

Guidelines:

  • In-Text Citations:
    • Format: (Author Year)
    • Example: (Smith 2019)
    • For direct quotes, include the page number: (Smith 2019, p. 45).
  • Reference List:
    • Books: Author’s Last Name, First Initial(s). Year. Title. Edition (if applicable). Place of Publication: Publisher.
      • Example: Smith, J. 2019. Understanding Science. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Academic Press.
    • Journal Articles: Author’s Last Name, First Initial(s). Year. “Title of Article.” Journal Name, volume(issue), page range.
      • Example: Brown, L. 2018. “Climate Change Effects.” Journal of Environmental Science, 32(2), pp. 120-134.
  • Website:
    • Author’s Last Name, First Initial(s). Year. Title of Web Page. Website Name. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Resources:

  • Harvard Style Guide
  • “Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide” by Richard Pears and Graham Shields.

5. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

Overview:

The IEEE style is used primarily in engineering, computer science, and other technical fields. It employs numbered citations that correspond to a detailed reference list.

Key Features:

  • In-text citations: Numbered in square brackets.
  • References: Numbered list of sources in the order they are cited.

Guidelines:

  • In-Text Citations:
    • Format: [Number]
    • Example: As demonstrated in [1], the algorithm…
  • References:
    • Books: [Number] Author’s Initial(s). Last Name, Title of Book, Xth ed. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
      • Example: [1] J. Smith, Introduction to Engineering, 2nd ed. New York: Engineering Press, 2019.
    • Journal Articles: [Number] Author’s Initial(s). Last Name, “Title of Article,” Journal Name, vol. number, no. number, pp. range, Month Year.
      • Example: [2] L. Brown, “Artificial Intelligence in Modern Systems,” IEEE Trans. Comput., vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 45-67, Feb. 2018.
  • Website: