Citation Styles
The citation styles most used in academic writing in English. Each page explains where the style is used and how it works. Full guides for each style are coming soon.
Not sure which style you need? Use the Citation Style Finder.
Common citation styles
APA Style, 7th edition
Author–date citations, such as (Smith, 2020), with a reference list at the end.
MLA Style, 9th edition
Author–page citations, such as (Smith 45), with a works-cited list. The page number helps readers find a quoted passage.
Chicago Style, 18th edition
Offers two systems: footnotes with a bibliography, common in history, and an author–date system used more in the sciences.
IEEE Style
Numbered citations in square brackets, such as [1], with sources listed in the order they are first cited.
Harvard referencing
A family of author–date styles with no single official version. Each institution publishes its own rules, so use your institution's guide.