In soccer, football, or hockey there are rules as to what you can and cannot do when passing the ball or the puck. Similarly, when you write and essay you are passing information. That is, you are engaged in the transfer of information. And there are rules that govern that transfer/passing of information. Just as soccer, football, or hockey each have their distinct rules and APA, Chicago, and MLA all have their distinct rules.

To help you learn the different formats for citation, here you will find some St. Mary's University College Library resources and other online learning resources.

It is your responsibility to learn and apply standard citation and reference techniques. Which citation standard that you use will depend on the:

• course instructor; and
• course requirements.

There are some general guidelines to help you in your choice of style guide. Use:

• MLA for English and literature disciplines;
• APA for most social science; and
• Chicago for history, classics, and music.

IMPORTANT: Your instructor has the final say as to which style guide is appropriate for the course in question. You should consult your course syllabus and your instructor if you have any questions about which style guide to use.

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)

STMU Help Sheets

• APA Documentation in Research Papers

Print Resources

• American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  [LOCATION: St. Mary's Reference | BF76.7 .P83 2001]

Online Guides

• Citation Styles Handbook: APA (The Center for Writing Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
  
  
• Style Manuals & Citation Guides (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
• Documentation Guidelines for citing sources & avoiding plagiarism (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
  • Citing Sources Within Your Paper
  • Assembling a List of Works Cited

Associations / Websites (find out more about the organizations that set these style guide standards)

• American Psychological Association (APA)

The CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE

STMU Help Sheets

• University of Chicago Style Guide

Print Resources

• The Chicago Manual of Style. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
  [LOCATION: St. Mary's Reference | Z253 .U69 2003]

Online Guides

• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide (© 2006, 2007 The University of Chicago)
  
  
• Style Guide for History Essays (University of Calgary)
  
  
• Style Manuals & Citation Guides (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
• Documentation Guidelines for citing sources & avoiding plagiarism (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
  • Citing Sources Within Your Paper
  • Assembling a List of Works Cited

Associations / Websites (find out more about the organizations that set these style guide standards)

• The Chicago Manual of Style

MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA)

STMU Help Sheets

• MLA Documentation in Research Papers

Print Resources

• Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
  [LOCATION: St. Mary's Reference | LB2369 .G53 2003]

Online Guides

• Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style
  
  
• Citation Styles Handbook: MLA (The Center for Writing Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
  
  
• Style Manuals & Citation Guides (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
• Documentation Guidelines for citing sources & avoiding plagiarism (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
  • Citing Sources Within Your Paper
  • Assembling a List of Works Cited
    
  
  
• A Guide for Writing Research Papers Based on MLA Documentation (Capital Community College, Hartford Connecticut)
  
  

Associations / Websites (find out more about the organizations that set these style guide standards)

• Modern Language Association (MLA)

SCIENCE STYLE GUIDES

STMU Help Sheets

• Documentation Style in Biological Sciences (CSE)

Print Resources

• Coghill Anne M. & Lorrin R. Garson, editors. 2006. The ACS style guide : effective communication of scientific information. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society; Oxford; New York : Oxford University Press.
  [LOCATION: UofC 2 Lib.Block - Reference collection | QD8.5 .A25 2006]
  
  
• Style Manual Committee, Council of Science Editors. 2006. Scientific style and format: the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. Reston, Va.: Council of Science Editors.
  [LOCATION: UofC 2 Lib.Block - Reference collection | T11 .S34 2006]

Online Guides

• ASA Format (California State University, Los Angeles)
  
  
• CBE - Council of Biology Editors: Citation/Sequence System (Colorado State University)
  
  
• Using CBE Style to Cite & Document Sources (© 2003 by Bedford / St. Martin's )
  
  
• Documentation Guidelines for citing sources & avoiding plagiarism (Duke University Libraries)
  
  
  • Citing Sources Within Your Paper
  • Assembling a List of Works Cited

Associations / Websites (find out more about the organizations that set these style guide standards)

• American Sociological Association (ASA)
• Council of Science Editors (CSE) {formerly the Council of Biology Editors (CBE)}

CITATION TOOLS & SOFTWARE

Tools and software products that help you manage your research are known as reference management software (RMS). There are a variety of commercial and open source products that are comparable to more well known products such as Endnote and ProCite. The STMU Library highly recommends Zotero as a good "poor man's" citation management tool.

To learn more about using RMS please visit the Library Tutorial on Citation Tools & Software.