Documentation Styles

These are four popular styles of documentation.

• MLA (Modern Language Association) is used in literature and most of the humanities.
• APA (American Psychological Association), which is generally used in the social sciences
• CBE (Council of Biology Editors) is used in biology and many other sciences.
• The Chicago Manual of Style which has two styles it favors.

If your organization or school does not recommend a particular style, choose one and stick to it.

Most styles ask that references be listed on a page by themselves, alphabetically by author, and includes all the references you used to produce your report. This list is called References, Works Cited, or Cited References, depending on the style you have used. (The Chicago Manual of Style uses the titles Bibliography, Selected Bibliography, and Works Cited.)

The list for any given paper or report may include a variety of sources. A source is anything information is drawn from. In a report, list every source used.

Citing Sources

Every bibliography entry is created from a number of standard components. The most basic three are author, title, and publication information. As with all writing, it is important to be consistent within a document and demonstrate attention to details.

The following examples show the differences between formats, which are significant, although the details are the same within each record.

 

One author, in Chicago Manual style:

Lynne Truss. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation , New York, Gotham Books, 1993

One author, in American Psychological Association (APA) style:

Truss, Lynne (1993). Eats, shoots & leaves: The zero tolerance approach to punctuation. New York, Gotham Books, 1993

One author, in British Broadcasting Corporation News Style Guidelines:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Lynne Truss, Gotham Books, New York, 1993

Entry Components

Here’s a list of elements you might include in a bibliography entry for a book or a section of a book:

Author(s) or Editor(s): The names of the author(s) or editor(s) come first, as bibliographies are typically organized alphabetically by author.

Title of the Work: The full title of the book or chapter.

Name of the Collection: If applicable, include the title of the collection in which the work is found.

Editor(s) or Translator: Include the name(s) of the editor(s) if the work is part of a collection, or the translator/compiler if relevant.

Edition Number: Specify the edition number if it is not the first edition.

Volume Number(s): Indicate the volume number(s) used if applicable.

Publication Data: Provide the place of publication, publisher’s name, and publication date (formatted according to the relevant style guide, e.g., MLA).

Page Numbers: Include page numbers of the specific work if it is part of a larger collection.