The Modern Language Association style guidelines have been a staple of liberal arts term papers for more than 50 years. The humanities and literature rely heavily on MLA because of the style's simplicity of parenthetical citations. MLA style guidelines are used throughout other countries such as Brazil, Japan and China. As such, more than 1,100 academic journals, newsletters, commercial presses and magazines use the MLA style.
Originating in 1929, the American Psychological Association formed a set of rules in order to simplify scientific writing for general audiences. This set of rules became known as APA style, which is used for term papers requiring strong documentation, such as headings, statistics, tables and figures, and reference citation. Social sciences such as developmental psychology require students to submit papers in the APA style.
"The Chicago Manual of Style" is a book used by authors, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers and publishers. Beginning as a simple set of rules, the "Chicago Manual of Style" grew into a style sheet, then into a pamphlet and finally into a book between 1891 and 1906. Journalist courses often make use of the "Chicago Manual of Style" to develop student proficiency in journalistic writing.
The Internet is a major reference source for many students these days. In order for students to correctly cite their online references, they must consult the "Columbia Guide to Online Style." The book borrows citation elements from the MLA and CMS style guides to avoid confusion when citing humanities sources within a term paper.