This page provides guidelines for integrating, citing, and documenting research into academic and professional papers in most frequently used documentation styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago.

Integrated Sources

• Research and Documentation Online: The electronic companion to Diana Hacker's booklet, Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age, this site provides formatting and documentation guidelines for papers and manuscripts written according to guidelines from the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), and CBE. The site also links to numerous style guides and publications. This is a great place to start researching citation and documentation styles, especially if you aren't sure what style you should use.
  Note: The 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style was published in 2003.  Like most current print and online style guides, this site references the 14th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Ask your professor or publisher which edition you should use if you are following CMS format.
   
• The Writing Center at UW-Madison: This page approaches citation and documentation from many perspectives. For a general discussion about using and integrating sources, Click Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources. View guidelines for any of the following citation and documentation styles - APSA (American Political Science Association), APA, Chicago, CBE, MLA - or click Numbered References for discussions of various numbering styles.
   
• Columbia Guide to Online Style: Try this page for quick citation and documentation guidelines for common electronic sources. After a brief discussion of The Elements of Citation and an overview of Documenting Sources in the Text, the page provides side-by-side examples of several online sources in humanities and scientific formats (Preparing the Bibliographic Material).
   
• George Mason University's Writing and Research Guides: This robust site includes links to general and specific guidelines for writing in numerous disciplines, including biology, history, nursing, and public administration (Guides in the Disciplines); citation and documentation guides for multiple fields (Research Writing Guides for Various  Disciplines); and links to numerous electronic resources for writers in any area (Writing and Research Guides).

American Anthropological Association of (AAA)

• For writers and researcher in anthropology, the AAA Style Guide is based on the The Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition, 1993) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition, 2000).

American Psychological Association (APA)

• Using APA Format: The APA companion to Purdue University's MLA page, this page provides APA formatting and documentation guidelines. Click General Format for formatting guidelines, Referring to the Works of Others in Your Text for a brief discussion about integrating research and referencing other works, and Your Reference List for an overview of APA documentation requirements.

Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)

• Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide: This quick reference page provides basic CMS citation guidelines for bibliographic and in-text references in both scientific and humanities styles.

Modern Language Association (MLA)

• An MLA-Style Guide: This page, from Purdue University's online writing lab (OWL), contains a clear, comprehensible introduction to MLA. For formatting guidelines, click Basic Paper Format; click Making Reference to the Works of Others in Your Text for a brief discussion about integrating research and referencing other works; and for an overview of MLA documentation requirements, click Your Works Cited List.

More information

Click below for general information about these organizations and their guidelines.

• APA (American Psychological Association)
• CMS (Chicago Manual of Style)
• CSE (Council of Science Editors, formerly CBE)
• MLA (Modern Language Association)

Last update November 15, 2006