* APA (American Psychological Association): Widely used in social sciences, psychology, education, and some areas of business. It emphasizes author-date citations in the text and a reference list at the end.
* MLA (Modern Language Association): Commonly used in humanities disciplines like literature, languages, and some areas of the arts. It uses in-text parenthetical citations and a "Works Cited" list.
* Chicago/Turabian: Offers two main styles (author-date and notes-bibliography). The author-date style is similar to APA, while the notes-bibliography style uses footnotes or endnotes for citations and a bibliography at the end. Often used in history, some social sciences, and the humanities.
* IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): Primarily used in engineering, computer science, and related fields. It uses numbered citations in the text and a list of references at the end.
* ACS (American Chemical Society): Used extensively in chemistry publications. It has a specific format for citations and references.
Which style to use?
The appropriate citation style is always determined by:
1. The journal or publication you're submitting to: The journal's instructions for authors will explicitly state the required citation style. This is paramount; using the wrong style will likely lead to rejection.
2. Your field of study: While there is overlap, certain styles are more prevalent in particular disciplines.
3. Your institution's guidelines: Some universities or institutions may have preferred styles for student papers.
Finding the correct style guide:
Once you know which style to use, consult the official style guide. These guides provide detailed rules and examples. Many are available online:
* APA: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
* MLA: MLA Handbook
* Chicago/Turabian: The Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian's Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
* IEEE: IEEE Citation Reference
* ACS: ACS Style Guide
In short, there's no single answer. Always check the specific requirements of your target publication or institution.