Citation Styles
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Who Should Use This Guide
This Library Guide aims to support students and faculty needing information about:
- When to cite a source
- What citation style to use
- How to create citations
This guide covers several common citation styles, like APA, MLA, and Chicago. This guide also provides resources for citation styles used in other disciplines. Official style guides will show how associations, journals, or publishers format citations, bibliographies, and more.
How to Use This Guide
Citation styles used across several disciplines (APA, MLA, Chicago, AMA) have individual tabs. To discover how to use citation generators, generate citations on library databases, and cite generative AI, see the "Citation Generators" tab.
Disciplines like Chemistry, Engineering, and Nursing use citation styles unique to them. A list of some of these specific citation styles is in the "More Citation Styles" tab.
Note: Subject library guides will also include citation information (e.g. Nursing subject guide).
When & Why You Should Cite Sources
When should you cite sources?
Cite information that contributed to your thoughts, analysis, or synthesis of ideas. The following are examples of when you should always cite your sources:
- Direct quotes of the author’s words that help you make your argument
- Summaries or paraphrases of someone else's thoughts or ideas put into your own words
- Information that may be common knowledge but is unfamiliar to your reader (including statistical information)
- Information you're unsure about citing should be cited to avoid plagiarism
Why should you cite sources?
Citations are crucial to include, as they:
- Credit the author of the original work who provided you with the information or idea.
- Allow your audience to identify and find the source material in order to learn about your topic.
- Give your paper more credibility by showing that you support your arguments with high-quality sources.
- Help you avoid plagiarism and show your integrity as a responsible researcher and participant in your field of study.
- Promote academic integrity and good scholarly ethics as you engage with other researchers and colleagues.
Selecting a Citation Style
Deciding which specific citation style to use depends on several factors:
- What style is recommended or required by your instructor, department, school, or college
- Always confirm with the instructor as to what specific citation style and style guide edition is allowed or required for the course or assignment
- What style is most used in the discipline for which you are writing
- What style is required by the editor, association, or other source in which you are submitting a document for publication
Related Library Resources
- Manage your research with citation management tools like Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote, and more.
- For additional citation style resources, consult the ASU Library's FAQ