LEARN TO WRITE THE PERFECT PAPER
CITATION STYLE: MLA
The Modern Language Association (MLA) is an organization of teachers and scholars devoted to the study of language and literature. MLA style has been widely adopted by academic journals, schools, and instructors. Since its initial publication, the MLA Style Manual has become the predominant style guide for use in the Humanities in the United States, and is commonly used in Canada and other countries worldwide. The Purdue Owl’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide is an excellent resource to use for building citations and writing MLA formatted papers as it covers rules and examples for everything from in-text citations, the reference list, and general MLA paper writing standards.
CITATION STYLE: APA
The American Psychological Association is the largest organization dedicated to advancing the field of Psychology in the United States. The APA citation style is now used worldwide for citing sources used for writing papers in Psychology and other behavioral and social sciences. The goal of APA Style is to provide clear, concise, and accurate citations that do not distract from the content of the paper. The Purdue Owl’s APA Formatting and Style Guide is an excellent resource to use for building citations and writing APA formatted papers as it covers rules and examples for everything from in-text citations, the reference list, and general APA paper writing standards. Click the link below and scan through the left-hand sidebar to find citation rules for your paper.
CITATION STYLE: AMA
The largest physician group in the United States, the American Medical Association (AMA) has been publishing a style manual for its scientific journals since the early 1960s.
Instructions
Number references and list them in the same order they were first cited in the text.
Names: Use initials (without periods or spaces) for first and middle names.
Titles: For articles and parts of books, capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized. For publications and books, capitalize the first letter of every major word. Abbreviate journal titles according to Index Medicus.
Dates: Use the order: month day year, spelled out.
When citing EBSCOhost, EBSCO is always uppercase; host is always lowercase italics.
Journal Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName FN, SecondAuthorLastName FN. Title of the article. Abbreviated Journal Title [serial online]. PublicationYear;VolumeNumber:StartPage-EndPage. Available from: Database Name, Ipswich,MA. Accessed Month Day, Year.
Example: Crainer S, Dearlove D. Windfall economics. Business Strategy Review. 2003;14(4):68-72. Business Source Premier [serial online]. Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 5, 2005.
Magazine Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName FN, SecondAuthorLastName FN. Title of the article. Magazine Title [serial online]. FullPublicationDate;VolumeOrIssueNumber:StartPage-EndPage. Available from: Database Name, Ipswich,MA. Accessed Month Day, Year.
Example: Grossman L. The geek shall inherit the earth. Time [serial online]. October 3, 2005;166(14):98-98. Available from: Business Source Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 5, 2005.
Newspaper Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName FN, SecondAuthorLastName FN. Title of the article. Newspaper Title [serial online]. FullPublicationDate;SectionTitleOrNumber:StartPage-EndPage. Available from: Database Name, Ipswich,MA. Accessed Month Day, Year.
Example: Kolata G. Experts unlock clues to spread of 1918 flu virus. New York Times [serial online]. October 6, 2005;155(53359):A1-A20. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 5, 2005.
Book Chapter
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName FN, SecondAuthorLastName FN. Title of the chapter. Book Title [e-book]. PublishersCity, PublishersState: PublisherName; PublicationYear:StartPage-EndPage. Available from: Database Name, Ipswich, MA. Accessed Month Day, Year.
You can get the publisher's name and location from the Publication Details page, found by clicking the Source field in the citation.
Example: Freedman MJ. Libraries in today's world. World Almanac & Book of Facts [e-book]. New York, NY: World Almanac Education Group Inc.; 2004:16-17. Available from: MasterFILE Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 5, 2005.
E Book
Pattern: [Author Last Name] [Author First Name Initials [E Book Title] [Publisher location]: [Publisher]. [E Book host site]. Accessed [Date].
Example: Randall, C. Water Economics. Boston Publications: Boston, MA. www.netlibrary.com. Accessed 12 November 2009.
E Book - chapter
Pattern: [Author Last Name] [Author First Name Initials]. [ Chapter Title]. In: [Editor Last Name] [editor First Name Initials], ed. [E Book Title] [Publisher location]: [Publisher]. [E Book host site]. Accessed [Date]: [pages-pages].
Example: Randall, C. Chapter 12: Water and Sewage. Water Economics. Boston Publications: Boston, MA. www.netlibrary.com. Accessed 12 November 2009
Website
Pattern: [Website or Webpage Title]. [Organization Name] Web site. [URL]. Accessed [Date].
Example: Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment. REACT. Web site. Available at: http://www.epi.umn.edu/react/. Accessed July 19, 2008.
Conference Paper
Pattern: [Author Last Name] [Author first and middle Name Initials]. [Title of paper]. Paper presented at: [Name of Conference]; [Date of conference]; [Conference Location]
Example: Kohout, J. B. Can APA be a Peppered Moth? Evolving in Response to Environmental Change and Prospects for the Association. Paper presented at APA Center for Workforce Studies; 2 November 2010; Washington,District of Columbia, US.
These are only basic examples of the AMA style. More detailed information is available through the American Medical Association Manual of Style (9th edition). In addition, a variety of third-party style guides and web sites can provide further assistance.
Always consult your library resources for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines.
CITATION STYLE: Chicago Author-Date Style
Begun in the 1890s as a simple list of style rules jotted down on a sheet of paper by a proofreader at the University of Chicago Press, this style guide was expanded and published in book format in 1906, as A Manual of Style. Since then, the Chicago Manual of Style has become a highly regarded and widely used resource for writers and editors in the publishing field.
In 1937, Kate Turabian (a dissertation secretary at the University of Chicago) created a simplified guide to Chicago style intended for students. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is still regularly published as a separate book, and Turabian is often used as a synonym for Chicago style.
Chicago/Turabian actually offer two styles of documentation, each one favored by different groups of scholars. The humanities or documentary-note style is favored by those in literature, history and the arts, while the author-date style is widely used by those in the natural or social science fields.
Instructions
Names: Author names should appear as they do on the title page, whether spelled out or using initials. The first author is listed last name first, but any other authors appear in normal order.
Titles: Use sentence-like capitalization: only the first word and proper nouns. Journal titles are fully capitalized.
Dates: Use the order: month day year, spelled out.
When citing EBSCOhost, EBSCO is always uppercase; host is always lowercase italics.
Journal Article
Pattern: Journal Title VolumeNumber, no. IssueNumber:StartPage-EndPage. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Crainer, Stuart, and Des Dearlove. 2003. "Windfall economics." Business Strategy Review 14, no. 4: 68-72. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Magazine Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. Publication Year. "Title of the article." Magazine Title, PublicationMonth Day, StartPage-EndPage. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Grossman, Lev. 2005. "The geek shall inherit the earth." Time, October 3: 98-98. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Newspaper Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. PublicationYear. "Title of the article." Newspaper Title, PublicationMonth Day, Edition. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Kolata, Gina. 2005. "Experts unlock clues to spread of 1918 flu virus." New York Times, October 6: A1-A20. Academic Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Book Chapter
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. PublicationYear. "Title of the chapter." In Book title, StartPage-EndPage. PublishersLocation: PublisherName. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day Year).
You can get the publisher's name and location from the Publication Details page, found by clicking the Source field in the citation.
Example: Freedman, Maurice J. 2004. "Libraries in today's world." In World almanac & book of facts, 16-17. New York: World Almanac Education Group Inc. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Website or Page
Pattern: [Year] “[Website or Webpage Document Title],” [Website Organization Name], last modified [date], accessed [Date], [URL].
Example: 2010 “Domestic Violence Homicides in Massachusetts Tracking Analysis 2003-2010,” Jane Doe, Inc., last modified 23 November 2010, accessed 4 December 2010, http://www.janedoe.org/know/2003-2010_YTD_DV_Homicides_MA.pdf.
E-Book
Pattern: [Author Last Name], [Author First Name]. [Year] [E book Title]. [Publisher Location]: [Publisher]. [doi or URL].
Example: Randall, Chris. 2008. Water Economics. Boston Publications: Boston, MA. www.netlibrary.com.
Conference Paper
Pattern: [Author Last Name], [Author First Name and Middle Initial.]. [Year]. “[Conference Paper Title].” Paper presented at [Conference Title], [Conference Location], [Conference Date].
Example: Kohout, J. B. 2010. “Can APA be a Peppered Moth? Evolving in Response to Environmental Change and Prospects for the Association.” Paper presented at APA Center for Workforce Studies, Washington, District of Columbia, US, 2 November 2010.
These are only basic examples of the Chicago style. More detailed information is available through The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition) and A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations<(6th edition). In addition, a variety of third-party style guides and web sites can provide further assistance.
Always consult your library resources for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines.
CITATION STYLE: Chicago Humanities Style
Begun in the 1890s as a simple list of style rules jotted down on a sheet of paper by a proofreader at the University of Chicago Press, this style guide was expanded and published in book format in 1906, as A Manual of Style. Since then, the Chicago Manual of Style has become a highly regarded and widely used resource for writers and editors in the publishing field.
In 1937, Kate Turabian (a dissertation secretary at the University of Chicago) created a simplified guide to Chicago style intended for students. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is still regularly published as a separate book, and Turabian is often used as a synonym for Chicago style.
Chicago/Turabian actually offer two styles of documentation, each one favored by different groups of scholars. The author-date style is widely used by those in the natural or social science fields, while the humanities or documentary-note style is favored by those in literature, history and the arts.
Instructions
Names: Author names should appear as they do on the title page, whether spelled out or using initials. The first author is listed last name first, but any other authors appear in normal order.
Titles: Titles of books, chapters and articles are capitalized sentence-style. Periodical titles are capitalized headline-style.
Dates: Use the order: month day year, spelled out.
When citing EBSCOhost, EBSCO is always uppercase; host is always lowercase italics.
Journal Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the article." Journal Title VolumeNumber, no. IssueNumber (PublicationYear): StartPage-EndPage. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Crainer, Stuart, and Des Dearlove. "Windfall economics." Business Strategy Review 14, no. 4 (2003): 68-72. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Magazine Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the article." Magazine Title, FullPublicationDate, StartPage-EndPage. Database Name, EBSCOhost(accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Grossman, Lev. "The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth." Time, October 3, 2005, 98-98. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Newspaper Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the article." Newspaper Title, FullPublicationDate, Edition. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Kolata, Gina. "Experts unlock clues to spread of 1918 flu virus." New York Times, October 6, 2005, late edition. Academic Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Book Chapter
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the chapter." In Book title, StartPage-EndPage. PublishersLocation: PublisherName, PublicationYear. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
You can get the publisher's name and location from the Publication Details page, found by clicking the Source field in the citation.
Example: Freedman, Maurice J. "Libraries in today's world." In World almanac & book of facts, 16-17. New York: World Almanac Education Group Inc., 2004. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Website or Page
Pattern:“[Website or Webpage Document Title],” [Website Organization Name], last modified [date], accessed [Date], [URL].
Example: “Domestic Violence Homicides in Massachusetts Tracking Analysis 2003-2010,” Jane Doe, Inc., last modified 23 November 2010, accessed 4 December 2010, http://www.janedoe.org/know/2003-2010_YTD_DV_Homicides_MA.pdf.
E-Book
Pattern: [Author Last Name], [Author First Name]. [E book Title]. [Publisher Location]: [Publisher], [Year]. [doi or URL].
Example: Seaward, Brian. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Wellbeing. Boston: Jones & Bartlett, 1999. www.netlibrary.com.
Conference Paper
Pattern: [Author Last Name], [Author First Name and Middle Initial.], “[Conference Paper Title].” Paper presented at [Conference Title], [Conference Location], [Conference Date].
Example: Kohout, J. B. (2010). “Can APA be a Peppered Moth? Evolving in Response to Environmental Change and Prospects for the Association.” Paper presented at APA Center for Workforce Studies, Washington, District of Columbia, US, 2 November 2010.
These are only basic examples of the Chicago style. More detailed information is available through The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition) and A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations(6th edition). In addition, a variety of third-party style guides and web sites can provide further assistance.
Always consult your library resources for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines.
CITATION STYLE: Cancouver/ICMJE Style
A small group of editors of general medical journals met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the National Library of Medicine, were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which has produced multiple editions of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.
Instructions
Number references and list them in the same order they were first mentioned in the text.
Names:Use initials (without periods or spaces) for first and middle names.
Titles: For articles, chapters and books, capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized. For publication names, capitalize the first letter of all significant words. Journal titles may be abbreviated according to Index Medicus.
Dates: Use the order year, month day. Shorten the month to the standard 3-letter abbreviation without a period.
When citing EBSCOhost, EBSCO is always uppercase; host is always lowercase italics.
Journal Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the Article." Title of the Journal VolumeNumber, no. IssueNumber (PublicationYear): StartPage-EndPage. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Crainer, Stuart, and Des Dearlove. "Windfall economics." Business Strategy Review 14, no. 4 (2003): 68-72. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Magazine Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the Article." Magazine Title, FullPublicationDate, StartPage-EndPage. Database Name, EBSCOhost(accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Grossman, Lev. "The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth." Time, October 3, 2005, 98-98. Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Newspaper Article
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the Article." Title of the Newspaper, FullPublicationDate, Edition. Database Name, EBSCOhost(accessed Month Day, Year).
Example: Kolata, Gina. "Experts Unlock Clues To Spread Of 1918 Flu Virus." New York Times, October 6, 2005, late edition. Academic Source Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Book Chapter
Pattern: FirstAuthorLastName, FirstAuthorFirstName, and SecondAuthorFirstName SecondAuthorLastName. "Title of the Chapter." In Book Title, StartPage-EndPage. PublishersLocation: PublisherName, PublicationYear. Database Name, EBSCOhost (accessed Month Day, Year).
You can get the publisher's name and location from the Publication Details page, found by clicking the Source field in the citation.
Example: Freedman, Maurice J. "Libraries in Today's World." In World Almanac & Book of Facts, 16-17. New York: World Almanac Education Group Inc., 2004. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 5, 2005).
Conference paper
Pattern: [Author last name][Author First Name Initials]. [Title of paper]. In: [Editor Last Name] [Editor First Name Initials], editor. [Title of the Conference]; [Date of conference]; [Place of publication]: [Publisher]; [Year of Publication]. p.[xx-xx].
Example: Kohout, J. Can APA be a Peppered Moth? Evolving in Response to Environmental Change and Prospects for the Association. In: Fromm, E., editor. Center for Workforce Studies; 2 November 2010; Washington, DC; American Psychological Association; 2010. p. 10-24.
Web site
Pattern: [Author/Editor/Organization's name] . [Title of the page] [[homepage on the Internet]]. [Place of publication]: [Publisher]; [[updated yr month day]; [cited yr month day]]. Available from: ([URL])
Example: Jane Doe, Inc. [homepage on the Internet]. Boston, MA: Jane Doe, Inc.; [updated 23 November 2010; cited 9 December 2010]. Available from: http://www.janedoe.org
E-Book
Pattern: [Author Last Name] [Author First Name Initial]. [E Book Title]. [Publisher Location]: [Publisher]; [Publication Year] [[cited] [Date]]. Available from: [E Book site]
Example: Donaldson M. Measuring the quality of health care. Washington: National Academy Press; 1999 [cited 8 October 2004]. Available from: http://www.netlibrary.com/.
E-Book Chapter
Pattern: [Author Last Name] [Author First Name Initial]. [E Book Title]. [Publisher Location]: [Publisher]; [Publication Year]. [Chapter Number], [Chapter Title]. [[cited] [Date]]. Available from: [E Book site or URL]
Example: Donaldson M. Measuring the quality of health care. Washington: National Academy Press; 1999. Chapter 1, Quality health care. [cited 8 October 2004]. Available from: http://www.netlibrary.com/.
Always consult your library resources for the exact formatting and punctuation guidelines.