Introduction
In academic writing, it is important to properly cite references in order to avoid plagiarism as well as give credit to the work of others. Different academic disciplines employ various citation styles for reference and in-text citations. However, the three most common styles are MLA, APA, and Chicago.
MLA (Modern Language Association) Style
The MLA style is primarily used in the humanities, e.g. it is the standard writing and citation format for college or university papers on English literature, history and other subjects in the arts. The reader gives priority to the author and work, since in-text citations have an easy-to-read author-page format.
In-Text Citations:
Cited Within Parentheses: (Last name of the author Page number)
Example: (Smith 17)
From the text, in this manner: (Author’s Last Name Page Number)
Example: “Quote” (Smith 17).
Works Cited Page:
Author-Page Format:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Title of Container, Vol. number, no. number, Date, pp. URL (if applicable).
APA (American Psychological Association)
The third format is APA, the American Psychological Association style, which is primarily for social sciences writing (e.g., psychology, sociology and education). It places importance on the author, date and source.
In-Text Citations:
In-text citation Author-date: (author year)
Example: (Smith, 2023)
Example: (Author, Year, Page number)
For Example: Quote (Smith, 2023, p. 17)
References Page:
Author-Date-Title Format:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Subtitle. Publisher.
Chicago Style
Chicago style is commonly used in history, the humanities, and the fine arts. There are two primary styles Notes-Bibliography style and Author-Date style.
Notes-Bibliography Style:
Footnotes or Endnotes — If you quote, paraphrase, or reference another work (even if you simply listen to one), you must cite it in footnotes or endnotes.
Bibliography: A list of all cited sources, in a certain formatting style.
Author-Date Style:
Citations within the text: Similar to APA style using author-date format
References Page: Like APA style, but different in terms of formatting requirements.
Choosing the Right Style
Citation styles vary according to your academic institutions requirements or your instructer.
