FAQ: What is a citation style?

There are many different citation styles that continue to evolve as technology and varieties of resources increase. Generally, a citation style is established by a ruling body, typically one of a specific profession or subject area, and provides rules and conventions that best fit the types of sources used by that profession/subject area. The citation styles provide rules that cover how to format citations of different types of sources.

Be sure to check with your professor as to what citation style is required for each assignment!

Common citation styles include:

• APA Style (most often used in the disciplines of the social sciences, nursing, and business)
• MLA Style (most often used in the disciplines of the humanities, literature, foreign language and cultural studies)
• Chicago Style (most often used in the disciplines of history and religion)