last updated: November 14, 2007
This page offers information and links concerning style sheets. Given the diversity of requirements on campus, three main style sheets are offered for your use. Please check with your instructor for information on which is appropriate for your assignment.
- MLA-Modern Language Association Style
- A Guide for Writing Research Papers. This is a full guide to the MLA style. Scroll down the left-hand side of the screen to find the speicific type of advice you require. Recommended
- The Columbia Guide to On-Line Style. Columbia offers a complete guide. For electronic citation help, just scroll down the page.
- KnightCite Calvin College offers a fill-in-the-blank way to cite using MLA, APA, or Chicago style.
- APA-American Psychologial Assocation Style
- Chicago-Turabian Style
- Writer's Handbook from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center.
- KnightCite Calvin College offers a fill-in-the-blank way to cite using MLA, APA, or Chicago sytle.
- General Writing Guides.
- Elements of Style by Wolliam Strunk, Jr. From Columbia University, this page offers general writing style help. Use it to answer questions and fill in your knowledge base on how to write. It is not a source of bibliographic style information.
- Local Issues
General Information
The creation of proper bibliographic citations is often
confusing. This need not be so. The important part of the
process to grasp is to have a style manual, either of your choice or the required one. In it look for the bibliographic citation section, and follow what it says.
The three main citation formats are supplied by the American
Psychological Association (APA), the Modern Language Association
(MLA), and the University of Chicago (also known in its short
version as Turabian). Different fields use different style
manuals. [In the larger world, each newspaper and magazine has
its own, too.] Geography follows the Chicago/Turabian style.
Psychology follows the APA. English uses the MLA. Etc.
The aspect that ties them together is that they all want about
the same information in the citation. What divides them is the
precise way of putting it all on the page. All want the
author(s), date, titles, volume references, media type, place of
publication, and publisher. They vary on the capitalization
rules, the question of whether the author's first or last name
comes first, and other items of detail. Remember, at all times,
that you are trying to give someone credit, and that any person
reading your materials ought to be able to find the source
without any unreasonable trouble.
Divisional Requirements
- Social Science: This discipline expects students to use the MLA Referecne List stylle in papers. It is a "must" reuirement for the capstone paper.
- With the exception of the capstone paper in Social Science, students in Dr. Meartz's classes may use MLA, APA, or Chicago style.
- Communication Arts. This division uses MLA, and teaches its use in their classes.
Maintained by Dr. Paul Meartz at Mayville State University, Mayville, North Dakota.
