Citations have two functions:
1- They serve as a guide for your readers to identify your sources and easily locate the original source in case they need delve deeper into the topic.
2- They give proper credit to the authors and sources you have used as supporting evidence in your writing.
It can become very confusing for students to know which type of citations they should use when writing papers. Often times, when professors assign papers, they will tell students which citation style they should use. That is because different academic disciplines have different citation styles. You should never assume that all of the classes you are enrolled in will use the same citation style. Here is a brief guide to different styles most commonly used in academia and the disciplines which share them.
MLA Style (Modern Language Association): MLA citations are usually used in arts, humanities and literature.
APA Style (American Psychological Association): APA citations are usually used in education, psychology and social sciences.
AMA Style (American Medical Association): AMA citations are used in the biological, health and medical fields.
Chicago Style: Chicago style is widely used in economics, history and some other social science fields, depending on the specific science.
Turabian Style: Turabian style is similar to Chicago style, but with the distinction that it is widely used for papers for class use only, but not for academic papers prepared for publication.
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