Library Tutorial - Citing Sources - About Citation Styles

Most disciplines have a standard style that writers are expected to use, based on the aspects of research that discipline considers most important. Each style will specify a uniform way of citing sources that will give an orderly appearance to your bibliography and provide all the essential elements of information that a reader will need to locate the source. The elements of a citation depend on the type of material you are citing.

For books, you must include:

• author(s) or editor(s)
• title
• place of publication
• publisher
• year of publicatiom

For journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, you must include:

• author(s)
• title of the article
• title of the journal, magazine or newspaper
• volume and/or issue number or date of publication
• page numbers

For Web pages, you must include:

• author(s) or editor(s)
• page title
• last update or copyright date
• date retrieved
• URL

Some style manuals will require you to use footnotes and a bibliography while others will require parenthetical references and a reference list. Your professor may require you to use a particular bibliographic style. If you are unsure of which manual to use, ask your professor.

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