1. MLA (Modern Language Association): This style is primarily used in the humanities, especially for English, literature, and language studies. It focuses on author-page citations within the text, followed by a Works Cited list at the end of the paper.
2. APA (American Psychological Association): This style is widely used in the social sciences, education, and psychology. It emphasizes author-date citations within the text, followed by a References list at the end of the paper.
3. Chicago/Turabian: This style is commonly used in the humanities and social sciences. It offers two main citation methods: footnotes/endnotes and author-date. It also includes detailed guidelines for formatting papers, bibliographies, and other elements.
These are just three common reference styles, and there are many others depending on the discipline and institution.