Find online guides for academic research papers. Different disciplines use different writing styles. Use Modern Language Association, or MLA, styles for English and literature papers. Science and social science research papers require the American Psychological Association, or APA, format. History and humanities classes, which usually use "The Chicago Manual of Style," or CMS, may often use the other two main formats.
Find the latest edition for each style guide. The seventh edition of the MLA handbook, published in 2009, is the most recent. Use the sixth edition of the APA style guide (2010), and the 15th edition of the CMS (2003).
Check out "The OWL at Purdue University" in the resource section, which (as of 2009) has free and updated style guides for MLA and APA papers, among a wide variety of writing style information.
The Chicago Manual of Style is located online (see resources), and as of 2009, costs $30 for a subscription (though discounts are available).
Add a degree of professionalism to business writing by incorporating information from style guides. Business writing demands a concise and clear voice, as well as specific formats for letters, memos and proposals. Learn how to put specific points together in a logical order to streamline your main idea in an effective manner.
Scrutinize online writing style guides. Good guides will offer examples and layouts for business letters and proposals and provide information about how content should be put together. A good guide for business letters will first introduce the format, offer ideas about how to put all your information together in the most concise manner, and then offer an example or two.
Learn a publication's specific writing and editorial guidelines before submitting articles or writings. Professional writers need to know exactly what type of writing a publication accepts and what style is used. Publications give writers style guides (or information about which style is used) or list their guidelines online.
Research the specific information and guides for each publication before submitting work, or risk rejection. Find all the information--voice, grammar, punctuation and titles, for example.