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Citation Style Guide

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Why Cite?

  • Citations let your professor, or anyone else who reads your work, find the items you used in your research. The key to a successful citation is providing all the information needed for your reader to find the book, article, or other item you are citing.
  • Citing builds your credibility and shows that your ideas are shared by other experts in the field. Citing scholarly, peer-reviewed sources lends extra credibility to your work.
  • Citation avoids plagiarism! Citing your sources properly gives credit to the original author. 

Citation Styles

Citation Styles:

  • ACS (American Chemical Society) - Chemistry - The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication - Official online source from the American Chemical Society The print version of the 2006 edition of the ACS Style Guide is in the reference collection (QD8.5 .A25 2006).
  • AIP (American Institute of Physics) - Physics - AIP Style Manual - Official rules from the AIP Style Manual
  • ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) - Legal Studies - ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation in print at the Pence Law Library (KF245 .A45 2010). See also Introduction to Basic Legal Citation by Peter W. Martin for a well organized guide that refers to both the ALWD Citation Manual and The Bluebook.
  • AMA (American Medical Association) - Medical Sciences - AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors in the reference collection (R 119.A533 2007) or the online AMA Style Guide from University of Evansville Libraries.
  • AMS (American Mathematical Society) - Mathematics - AMS Author Handbook - Official source from American Mathematical Society.
  • APSA (American Political Science Association) - Political Science, International Studies -  Style Manual for Political Science - Official source from APSA  or in print in the reference collection (JA86 .A52 2006).
  • ASA (American Sociological Association) - Sociology - Purdue OWL ASA Style or in print in the reference collection (HM586 .A54 2010).
  • AP (Associated Press) - Journalism, Public Relations - AP Stylebook - Official online version or earlier editions in print on reserve (PN4783 .A83 2013) or in the reference collection (PN 4783 .A83 2010).
  • Bluebook - Legal Studies - The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation in print in the reference collection (KF245 .B58). See also Introduction to Basic Legal Citation by Peter W. Martin for a well organized guide that refers to both The Bluebook and the ALWD Citation Manual.
  • CSE (Council of Science Editors) - Biology -  Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers in print in the reference collection (QH304 .C13 2014) or see CSE Name-Year Citation Style Guide from McGill Library.
  • Harvard Business School - Business - Harvard Business School Citation Guide - Official citation guide from the Harvard Business School.
  • LSA (Linguistic Society of America) - Linguistics - Unified Style Sheet for Linguistics​ - Official online guide from the Linguistic Society of America. 
  • Maroonbook - Legal Studies - University of Chicago Manual of Legal Citation - official online source for the Maroonbook, from the University of Chicago.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine) - Medicine - Citing Medicine - Official online guide from the National Library of Medicine.