Citation and style manuals
List of citation styles, corresponding online and print guides, and links to sites that provide examples.
- Citation & Style Manuals
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)
- Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD)
- American Management Association (AMA)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- American Mathematical Society (AMS)
- Associated Press (AP)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- American Political Science Association (APSA)
- American Sociological Association (ASA)
- American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- Bluebook
- Chicago Manual of Style
- Council of Science Editors (CSE)
- Government information
- Geological Society of America (GSA)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- Modern Language Association (MLA)
- National Library of Medicine
- Turabian
- Style manuals in our collections
- Citing AI-Generated Content
Style manuals do more than dictate citation formats—they establish standards for consistency in writing, covering grammar, punctuation, layout, and more. They also guide the presentation of tables and figures, the formatting of headings and page numbers, capitalization and abbreviation rules, and field-specific nomenclature. Consulting a style guide before writing can save time and improve clarity.
Choosing a citation style
For assignments, the citation style is often determined by your instructor. For manuscripts you plan to submit, the style is often determined by the publisher or editor.
When you are allowed to choose a citation style, use these guidelines:
- Review your cited sources. Is a common style used?
- What discipline is your document for?
- Social sciences, psychology, education typically use APA
- Humanities typically use MLA
- Life sciences typically uses CSE
- Medicine typically uses AMA
- Communication typically uses AP
- History uses Chicago or Turabian
- Last Updated: Mar 20, 2025 11:57 AM
- URL: https://guides.lib.vt.edu/find/citation-style-manuals
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