Describing Sources
A style manual is your friend
At this point you may be wondering, "How do I know what kind of information goes in the citations? How do I know what to put in the brief citation? How do I organize my bibliography?"
Not to worry. Handy reference tools called style manuals will tell you what to include in your citations and how to organize the information. There are many style manuals available; here are the common ones:
- MLA - often used in English classes
- APA - often used in psychology and social sciences classes
- Chicago Manual of Style - often used with Humanities (English, Art, History)
- ACS (American Chemical Society) - chemistry
- CSE (Council of Science Editors) - biology and science
Your instructor will let you know which style manual to follow for your project. Some instructors have their own style sheets. Whenever you have a project that requires you to use outside sources, ask your instructor this exact question: "What format should I use for citation?" (Memorize that question.) Next >>