Hint: ask you instructor!
MLA style, developed by the Modern Language Association, is used for English, foreign languages and general topics. MLA requires parenthetical citations within the text and a corresponding bibliography or works cited list at the end of the paper.
View our concise MLA Style handout (PDF) and the guide to citing in-text (PDF).
APA style, developed by the American Psychological Association, is used for hard sciences and social sciences, including education. APA uses parenthetical citations within the text and a corresponding bibliography or works cited list at the end of the paper.
View our concise APA Style handout (PDF) and the guide to citing in-text (PDF).
Chicago style is sometimes used for history and the humanities. Chicago style uses superscript numbers within the text to refer readers to corresponding footnotes at the end of the page. A bibliography is generally required as well.
View our concise Chicago Style handout (PDF) and the guide to footnotes (PDF).
