Writing Papers Writing Styles

The style and tone for writing papers is largely dependent on the guidelines you are instructed to use. As such, the occasional timely reminder of what the various academic writing styles are is important. Here is a brief refresher overview of the main style guidelines used by most academics. This covers the main three writing paper styles; there are others used less frequently, such as Harvard and Chicago.

Writing papers in APA style

APA style is the most commonly used style in the sciences. Using this format sources should be listed alphabetically by author and the list must be titled, “References.” Use a hanging indent (5 spaces or one half inch indent) for the second and subsequent lines in each reference.  The paper must include four main sections including Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References. Citations on the Reference list should have italicized titles and the date after the author’s name.

In APA format style endnotes and footnotes are not encouraged. If explanatory notes are necessary, a footnote can be used. A superscript number is used following the punctuation in-text. If the punctuation is in parenthesis then the footnote should be as well. Footnotes should appear on the final page of the document after the References page. Each double spaced footnote should be indented five spaces on the first line.

On the reference page use only the last name and initials for the author and if the author is unknown begin with the title followed by the date. Only the first word of article and book titles should be capitalized but for periodicals, all significant words should be capitalized. For websites, include the date accessed and the date written or updated if known. If the creation date is unknown, use the initials n.d., instead.

In-text citations using APA format requires the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example: (Smith, 2004). The citation should correspond to the reference in the list at the end of the paper.

Writing papers in MLA style

MLA is the favored style for research papers. References are listed alphabetically by author and all lines are double-spaced. The reference page must be titled, “Works Cited.” Use a hanging indent, in other words indent the second and following lines of each citation five spaces or one half inch. Where the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title. Month names excepting May, June and July should be abbreviated. MLA requires 12-point font. Each new paragraph line should be indented. The medium, for example print or electronic, should be stated at the end of the citation.

Endnotes and footnotes are provided in-text with superscript Arabic numbers after the punctuation of the phrase or clause cited. The extensive use of explanatory notes including the use of footnotes is discouraged in MLA. MLA style only allows the use of endnotes or footnotes for bibliographic notes that refer the reader to other publications. Endnotes should be listed on a separate page before the Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

In text citations are done using parenthesis and must match the reference information on the bibliography page. MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. Therefore, the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text with a complete and corresponding reference appearing on the Works Cited page. Either the author’s name may appear in the sentence itself or in parentheses after the quotation or paraphrase, but the page number must always appear in parentheses and not in the sentence text.

Writing papers in Turabian style

Using Turabian style, the references are listed alphabetically by author. Where the author name is unknown, list alphabetically by title followed by the date. Second and following lines are indented 5 spaces or one half inch (hanging indent). Other Turabian rules are double spacing and month abbreviation except for the months of May, June and July.

In text citations using endnotes and footnotes are used in the Turabian system.  The footnote or endnote begins with the appropriate number followed by a period and then a space. Footnotes will be added at the end of the page on which the source is referenced, and endnotes will be compiled at the end of each chapter or at the end of the entire document (see Footnotes/Endnotes below for more information).

The Turabian writing style dictates that unpublished interviews and personal conversations should be cited in text or in notes rather than in the bibliography. While other styles suggest referencing internet references in text, Turabian style does not and requires a full bibliographical reference. For website references, the citation must include the date the page was created as well as the date it was viewed.

Footnotes or endnotes should be included with a superscript number corresponding to a note with the bibliographic information for that source should be placed within the text at the end of the sentence in which the source is cited. Each time a source is used for the first time in the document all relevant information about the source should be included at the end of the page or chapter. When citing the same source again, the note need only include the surname of the author, the title (or a shortened form of the title) and the page number(s) cited.