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February 21, 2019 | Blog, Learning Center
When preparing an academic paper, you’ll often need to adhere to a specific style guide. These guides are more than just rulebooks; they’re the scaffolding that supports clarity, precision and uniformity in scholarly communication. Style guides help you foreground your content by creating consistency in the format and style of your manuscript. This allows the content to shine. Whether you’re a seasoned academic or a first-time researcher, learning how to navigate the most common academic style guides in your field will help you produce more coherent and professional manuscripts.
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is one of the most common style guides. Used in psychology, nursing, education and throughout the social sciences, this style guide emphasises clarity of expression.. At its core, APA style champions a scientific approach to exploring topics, advocating for clear writing as well as structured and evidence-based narratives.
APA guidelines meticulously outline the structure of papers, dictating specific formatting rules that cover everything from the margin sizes and font types to the alignment and spacing of text. This attention to detail ensures uniformity and professionalism across scholarly works, making it easier for readers to understand the content. The APA style website makes it easy to follow the proper structure by providing authors with templates for both student and professional papers.
In terms of citations, APA style provides a clear framework for acknowledging the works of others. Through its author-date in-text citation system, it allows writers to succinctly reference their sources within the body of their text, thereby supporting their arguments with established research while acknowledging original authors.
The APA’s extensive guidance on ethical scholarship and inclusive language puts it at the forefront of academic style guides. By following APA guidelines, writers can not only enhance the professionalism of their work but also contribute to the literature in a responsible, ethical and inclusive manner.
Official APA Style website: An authoritative source for the latest rules and guidelines.
APA Style Blog: Offers insights and tips on common citation challenges.
Purdue OWL—APA Style: A comprehensive resource for APA formatting and style rules.
MLA style, short for Modern Language Association style, is an academic style guide commonly used in the humanities, particularly literature and philosophy. Emphasizing clarity and conciseness, MLA style guides writers on how to format their manuscripts, cite sources within the text, and compile Works Cited lists. Its hallmark features include minimalist in-text citations that contain at most the author’s last name and the relevant page number, and a comprehensive list of works cited that provides readers with full publication details of sources used. This approach ensures a uniform structure that enhances readability and scholarly communication. For detailed guidelines, the MLA Handbook serves as an essential resource, offering in-depth instructions on every aspect of MLA formatting and citation practices.
MLA Style Center: The go-to place for all MLA-related guidelines.
Purdue OWL—MLA Style: Provides detailed examples and instructions for MLA citations.
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) stands as a cornerstone in the world of academic and professional writing, renowned for its comprehensive guidance on citation, formatting, and grammar. Esteemed for its versatility, CMoS is the preferred style guide across a spectrum of fields, including history, literature, and the arts, as well as in various aspects of publishing. What sets Chicago style apart is its dual system of citation: the notes-bibliography system, favored in humanities for its detailed footnotes or endnotes coupled with a bibliography, and the author-date system, popular in the sciences and social sciences, which uses parenthetical in-text citations and a reference list. This adaptability, combined with its thorough treatment of editorial standards, makes the Chicago Manual of Style an indispensable resource for writers seeking clarity and precision in their work.
Chicago Manual of Style Online: Access to the manual and a free trial.
Chicago Style Q&A: Answers to common questions about Chicago style.
Purdue OWL—Chicago Style: A resource for understanding CMOS citations and formatting.
In addition to the well-known APA, MLA and Chicago style guides, the academic world is home to several lesser-known style guides tailored to specific disciplines and publications. These include the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style, used by authors in the natural sciences and the American Medical Association (AMA) style guide, which is crucial for researchers in medical and health sciences. For engineers and professionals in applied sciences, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) style guide outlines the standards for writing and citing in technical fields, ensuring clarity and uniformity across publications. While the American Sociological Association (ASA) style guide offers a framework for authors in sociology, focusing on the organization and presentation of social science research, the Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) style guide serves as an essential reference for scholars in the modern humanities. In the legal realm we find OSCOLA and Bluebook, which provide guidance for legal writers on how to cite legal sources.
These specialized guides help maintain the integrity and coherence of scholarly work within their respective domains, offering detailed instructions to support researchers in contributing valuable insights to their fields while acknowledging the work of others.
Also from the Purdue OWL website, this citation comparison chart will help keep all the styles straight if you have to write using a variety of styles for different papers.
This tutorial is designed to deepen your understanding of any chosen style guide. Using a step-by-step approach, it equips you with the knowledge to use the guide effectively, enhancing the credibility and integrity of your academic work.
It’s worth your while to spend some time with these resources—especially those you’ll be required to use on a regular basis. Soon you’ll find that you remember details of what information goes where, whether it’s capitalized or not, and how it should be punctuated; in short, you’ll be navigating the style guides like a pro.
No time to learn a new style guide? Our editors are experts in all of the major style guides and will make sure your citations, references and formatting are compliant with the rules of your chosen style guide. Get an instant quote on our order page today.
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