Choosing a Citation Style
Check with your professor/advisor to find out which citation style is preferred for your research. Commonly-used styles include:
- APA
- MLA
- IEEE
- CSE
When citing your research:
- use a clear format;
- be consistent;
- provide enough information to allow others to identify and find the cited work.
Some databases can generate citations for users after they select a preferred citation style. If you are using one of these databases, be aware that they do not always produce correctly formatted citations. You will have to double-check the citations to make sure they are formatted properly.
Style Guides
- Purdue OWL
Purdue's Online Writing Lab provides a guide to using the APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles. It includes examples of citations as well as sample papers.
-
Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed.
Reference Desk LB2369 .U6 (17th 2017)
Style manual developed by the University of Chicago Press - IEEE Editorial Style Manual
The style manual for IEEE publications; information about the citation style starts on page 34. See also the IEEE Citation Reference and Preparation of Papers for IEEE Transactions and Journals for more examples of this citation style.
-
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 8th ed.
Reference LB2369 .G53 2016
Official style manual of the Modern Language Association -
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.
Reference BF76.7 .P83 2020
Official manual for the APA citation style -
Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 8th ed.
Reference T11 .S386 2014
Style manual for the Council of Science Editors
Citation Generators
If you need to format a few citations quickly, free citation sites generate citations based on information users provide about their sources. Remember that the citations will only be as good as the information entered, so make sure to double-check your work.
- BibMe
Creates citations in the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. Create an account (registration is free) to download a list of citations as a Word document or save your bibliography.
Need citation and/or writing assistance?
The Writing and Communication Center located in the library can help you with writing any type of paper, and can help you with specific elements of your paper as well. You can schedule asynchronous and synchronous appointments, both virtually and in-person, in order to receive personalized assistance with your project(s).