What is the shortest citation style for academic papers?

There isn't a single "shortest" citation style universally accepted for academic papers. The length of a citation depends heavily on the information required and the specific style guide being used. However, some styles tend to be more concise than others.

Styles often considered relatively concise (but still needing necessary information):

* Author-Date (often used in the humanities and social sciences): This style generally uses parenthetical citations in the text (Author, Year) and a corresponding reference list at the end. While concise *in-text*, the reference list still needs to contain full publication details. APA is a prominent example, though its brevity is relative to others.

* Numeric (used in some scientific fields): This system uses numbered superscripts or footnotes in the text, referencing a numbered list of citations at the end. It can be concise *in-text*, but the full citations in the reference list might be lengthy.

It's crucial to remember that even in these relatively brief styles, essential information like author(s), date, and source title must be included (and often the publisher or journal, volume, issue, pages etc.). Simply omitting details to achieve brevity is unacceptable and would be considered plagiarism.

The best approach is to choose a style mandated by your institution, journal, or professor. Trying to create your own abbreviated style will almost certainly be unacceptable.