Complete Discipline Listing
Summary:
This handout provides an exhaustive list of style guide information for documenting sources in different disciplines. The handout is organized by discipline and includes both a link to the main organizational website and also a link for an online guide to using that style.
Contributors:Dana Lynn Driscoll, Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2012-06-04 01:59:27
A good general resource that compares various styles (and provides color-coded annotations) is Citation Style for Research Papers, provided by Long Island University.
Anthropology
The American Anthropological Association uses the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition, 2000).
- Official Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
- Purdue OWL CMS Resources
Biology
Council of Biology Editors. CBE Style Manual: A Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers in the Biological Sciences. Washington: American Chemical Society, 6th edition, 1994.
- Official Website
- Explanatory Website from Diana Hacker
Chicago Style (used in many disciplines)
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003.
- Official Chicago Style Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
- Purdue OWL CMS Resources
Chemistry
American Chemical Society. The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors. Washington: American Chemical Society, 1986.
- Official ACS Website
- Explanatory Website from ACS books.
English (and some disciplines in the humanities)
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 2nd ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1998.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 5th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association, 1995.
- Official MLA Website
- Explanatory Website at the Purdue OWL
- Purdue OWL MLA Resources
Engineering
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Information for IEEE Transactions and Journal Authors. New York: IEEE, 1989.
- Official IEEE Website
- Explanatory website from IEEE
Geology
Bates, Robert L., Rex Buchanan, and Marla Adkins-Heljeson, eds. Geowriting: A Guide to Writing, Editing, and Printing in Earth Science. 5th ed. Alexandria: Amer. Geological Inst., 1995.
United States Geological Survey. Suggestions to Authors of the Reports of the United States Geological Survey. 7th ed. Washington: GPO, 1991.
- Official USGS Website
- Explanatory Website from the US Geological Survey
Government
Gapner, Diane L., and Diane H. Smith. The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Writers and Librarians. Rev. ed. Bethesda: Congressional Information Service, 1993.
- Explanatory Website from the University of Mephis
History
Gray, Wood. Historian's Handbook: A Key to the Study and Writing of History. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
Most historians use either Chicago style or Turabian style.
- Official Website
- Explanatory Website from Diana Hacker
- Purdue OWL CMS Resources
Information Sciences and Computer Science
American National Standard for Information Sciences. Scientific and Technical Reports: Organization, Preparation, and Production. New York: ANSI, 1987.
The IEEE Computer society prefers the Chicago Manual of Style.
Journalism
The Associated Press Stylebook. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2004.
Law and Legal Studies
The Bluebook : A Uniform System of Citation. 17th ed. Cambridge: Harvard Law Review Association, 2001.
- Official Bluebook Website
- Explanatory Website from Cornell University
Linguistics
Linguistic Society of America. LSA Bulletin, December issue (annually).
Linguistics publications generally follow the APA (American Psychological Association) format.
Mathematics
American Mathematical Society. A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers. 8th ed. Providence: American Mathematical Society, 1990.
Management
American Management Association. The AMA Style Guide for Business Writing. New York : AMACOM,1996.
Medicine
American Medical Association. AMA Manual of Style. 9th ed. Chicago: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
- Official Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Washington Health Links
Physics
American Institute of Physics. Style Manual for Guidelines in the Preparation of Papers. 4th ed. New York: American Institute of Physics, 1990.
- Official AIP Website (download the manual free of charge!)
Psychology (and other social sciences)
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2001.
Political Science
American Political Science Association Committee on Publications. The Style Manual for Political Science. Washington, DC: American Political Science Association, 2002.
- Official Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
Sociology
American Sociological Association. ASA Style Guide. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association, 1997.


