Authors cite sources used in a paper in order to give credit to the ideas they have incorporated into their own work. This is a necessary step to avoid plagiarism.
This page will provide information about the most commonly used styles as well as tools to help you answer questions. If you have any questions about what style you should be using, it's always a good idea to check with your professor.
What style should I use?
There are a range of styles available. Which style you should use is dependent upon the discipline or class for which you are writing. MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian are the most commonly used styles and will be covered on this page.
MLA style is from the Modern Language Association and is commonly used in the humanities. APA is from the American Psychological Association and is generally used for papers in the social sciences. Chicago and Turabian styles are from the University of Chicago and used by history, engineering, and theology scholars.
APA Style | MLA Style | Chicago Style | Turabian Style
Other General Guides
Software for Creating Citations and Bibliographies