Examples of citation styles and their corresponding manuals

• MLA (Modern Language Association) Basic MLA Format for Citing Books and Journal Articles

 This style is commonly used in the humanities.

Gibaldi, Joseph.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
    4th ed.  New York: MLA, 1995.  (REF  PN147.M57 1995)

A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation, prepared by the Humanities Department and the Arthur C. Banks, Jr., Library at Capital Community-Technical College Hartford, Connecticut, and the University of Southern Mississippi's MLA Style Guide both give examples of how to cite sources using the MLA citation style.

  Janice R. Walker's Columbia Online Style: MLA-Style Citations of Electronic Sources, endorsed by the Alliance for Computers & Writing, illustrates how to cite electronic sources using the MLA citation style.

• APA (American Psychological Association) Basic APA Format for Citing Books and Journal Articles

 This style is commonly used in the social sciences.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.  4th ed.
    Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1994.  (REF  BF76.7.P83 1994)

The APA style manual is a little confusing for students when it comes to indenting entries in a reference list. In all the examples, the first line of the reference is indented five spaces. The reason for this is given on page 251 of the manual (4th ed.). According to APA, when manuscripts are submitted to publishers, the typesetting system automatically converts the list to the hanging indent format that appears in the printed article.

 As their papers are prepared as final copies, students are generally expected to use the hanging indent format. This means that the first line of a reference is flush with the left margin, and second and subsequent lines are indented.

 Opinions on the number of spaces of indentation vary. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook (REF PE1408.R677 1994) suggests three spaces, while other sources, such as Diana Hacker's A Canadian Writer's Reference (REF PE1408.H245 1996) give examples with an indentation of five spaces.

  The University of Southern Mississippi's APA Style Guide gives examples for citing sources using the APA citation style.

• CBE (Council of Biology Editors)This style is sometimes used in the sciences.

Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.
    6th ed.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.  (REF  T11.S386 1994)

• University of Chicago PressThe Chicago Manual of Style, developed by Chicago University Press, is widely recognized and used. Kate Turabian has written a manual for students that is based on the Chicago manual of style, but is simpler to use.

The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
    1993.  (REF  Z253.U69 1993)

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
5th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. (REF LB2369.T8 1987)