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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.
Anthropology
The American Anthropological Association uses the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.
- Official AAA Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
- Purdue OWL CMS Resources
- Official Chicago Style Website
Biology
Council of Science Editors. Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 8th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2014.
- Official Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
- Scientific Style and Format Online (digital guide)
Chicago Style (used in many disciplines)
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017.
- Official Chicago Style Website
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
- Purdue OWL CMS Resources
Chemistry
Coghill, Anne and Garson, Lorrin, eds. The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information. 3rd ed. Washington, DC American Chemical Society, 2006.
- Official ACS Website
- ACS Style Guide (available in .pdf)
- Explanatory Website from ACS books.
English (and some disciplines in the humanities)
Modern Language Association. MLA Handbook. 8th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association, 2016.
Engineering
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE Editorial Style Manual. Piscataway, New Jersey: IEEE Periodicals, 2017.
For usage issues not addressed in IEEE manual: The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017.
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.
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 West Texas A&M University
- Explanatory Website from University of North Texas
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.
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, 2018.
Law and Legal Studies
The Bluebook: A uniform System of Citation. 20thed. Cambridge: Harvard Law Review Association, 2015.
- 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
The AMA Handbook of Business Writing. New York: AMACOM, 2010.
Medicine
American Medical Association. AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 10th ed. Oxford: Oxford U P, 2007.
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. 6th ed. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2009.
Political Science
American Political Science Association Committee on Publications. APSA Style Manual for Political Science. 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Political Science Association, 2006.
This guide asks writers to use certain elements of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (see above).
- Official APSA Website
- APSA Style Manual (pdf)
- Explanatory Website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writing Center
Sociology
American Sociological Association. ASA Style Guide. 5thed. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association, 2014.
- Navigation
- Purdue OWL
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General Writing
- General Writing Introduction
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The Writing Process
- The Writing Process Introduction
- Writing Task Resource List: What Do You Need To Write?
- Invention: Starting the Writing Process
- Prewriting (Invention)
- Writer's Block
- Stasis Theory
- Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips
- Developing an Outline
- Reverse Outlining
- Proofreading
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Academic Writing
- Academic Writing Introduction
- The Rhetorical Situation
- Establishing Arguments
- Logic in Argumentative Writing
- Historical Perspectives on Argumentation
- Paragraphs and Paragraphing
- Essay Writing
- Conciseness
- Paramedic Method
- Reverse Paramedic Method
- Adding Emphasis
- Sentence Variety
- Using Appropriate Language
- Active and Passive Voice
- Email Etiquette
- Email Etiquette for Students
- Using Foreign Languages in Academic Writing in English
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Common Writing Assignments
- Common Writing Assignments Introduction
- Understanding Writing Assignments
- Argument Papers
- Research Papers
- Exploratory Papers
- Annotated Bibliographies
- Book Reports
- Definitions
- Essays for Exams
- Book Reviews
- Academic Proposals
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Mechanics
- Mechanics Introduction
- Higher, Lower Order Concerns
- Sentence Clarity
- Parts of Speech Overview
- Sentence Clarity Presentation
- Sentence Fragments
- Transitions and Transitional Devices
- Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them
- Parallel Structure
- Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms)
- Capitals: Help with Capitals
- Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives
-
Grammar
- Grammar Introduction
- Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike
- Numbers: Writing Numbers
- Adjective or Adverb
- How to Use Adjectives and Adverbs
- Appositives
- Articles: A versus An
- How to Use Articles (a/an/the)
- Prepositions
- Pronouns
- Relative Pronouns
- Count and Noncount Nouns
- Subject/Verb Agreement
- Verb Tenses
- Active Verb Tenses
- Irregular Verbs
-
Punctuation
- Punctuation Introduction
- Punctuation
- Sentence Punctuation Patterns
- Independent and Dependent Clauses
- Conquering the Comma Presentation
- Commas
- Apostrophe Introduction
- Hyphen Use
- Quotation Marks
-
Visual Rhetoric
- Visual Rhetoric Introduction
- Visual Rhetoric
- Analyzing Visual Documents
- Using Fonts with Purpose
- Color Theory Presentation
- Designing Effective PowerPoint Presentations
- Data Visualization
-
Undergraduate Applications
- Undergraduate Applications Introduction
- Advice from Undergraduate Admissions Officers
- Undergraduate Application Timeline and Additional Resources
-
Graduate School Applications
- Graduate School Applications Introduction
- Overview
- Researching Programs
- Statements of Purpose
- Requesting Recommendation Letters
- Writing a Research Statement
- Personal Correspondence
- Community Engaged Writing
- Media File Index
- General Writing FAQs
- Writing Center Directory
-
Research and Citation
- Research and Citation Resources
-
Conducting Research
- Conducting Research Introduction
- Research Overview
- Conducting Primary Research
- Evaluating Sources of Information
- Searching Online
- Internet References
- Archival Research
-
Using Research
- Using Research Introduction
- Writing with Statistics
- Strategies for Fair Use
- Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
- Paraphrase Exercises
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Writing Scientific Abstracts Presentation
- Formatting in Sociology (ASA Style)
- Resources for Documenting Sources in the Disciplines
- Citation Style Chart
-
APA Style
- APA Style Introduction
- APA Overview and Workshop
-
APA Formatting and Style Guide
- General Format
- In-Text Citations: The Basics
- In-Text Citations: Author/Authors
- Footnotes and Endnotes
- Reference List: Basic Rules
- Reference List: Author/Authors
- Reference List: Articles in Periodicals
- Reference List: Books
- Reference List: Other Print Sources
- Reference List: Electronic Sources
- Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources
- Additional Resources
- Types of APA Papers
- APA Stylistics: Avoiding Bias
- APA Stylistics: Basics
- APA Headings and Seriation
- APA PowerPoint Slide Presentation
- APA Sample Paper
- APA Tables and Figures 1
- APA Tables and Figures 2
- APA Abbreviations
- Statistics in APA
- APA Classroom Poster
- APA Changes 6th Edition
- General APA FAQs
-
MLA Style
- MLA Style Introduction
- MLA Overview and Workshop
-
MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- General Format
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics
- MLA Formatting Quotations
- MLA Endnotes and Footnotes
- MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format
- MLA Works Cited Page: Books
- MLA Works Cited Page: Periodicals
- MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources
- MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources
- MLA Additional Resources
- MLA Abbreviations
- MLA Sample Works Cited Page
- MLA Sample Paper
- MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples
- MLA PowerPoint Presentation
- MLA FAQs
- MLA Classroom Poster
- MLA 8th Edition Changes
-
Chicago Style
- CMOS Introduction
- CMOS Overview and Workshop
-
CMOS Formatting and Style Guide
- Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition
- General Format
- Books
- Periodicals
- Web Sources
- Audiovisual Recordings and Other Multimedia
- Interviews, Personal Communication
- Lectures and Presentations
- Legal, Public and Unpublished Materials
- CMOS Author Date Sample Paper
- CMOS NB Sample Paper
- CMOS NB PowerPoint Presentation
- CMOS Author Date PowerPoint Presentation
- CMOS Author Date Classroom Poster
- CMOS NB Classroom Poster
- AMA Style
-
Teacher and Tutor Resources
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Writing Instructors
- Writing Instructors Introduction
- Parents
- Grades 7-12 Instructors and Students
- Non-Purdue Users
- Purdue Instructors and Students
- Adult Basic Education
- Writing Across the Curriculum: An Introduction
- Creative Nonfiction in Writing Courses
- Poetry in Writing Courses
- Teaching Detailed Writing and Procedural Transitions
- Teaching OSDDP: A Guide for Professional Writing Instructors
- Email Etiquette for Professors
- Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students
-
Writing Tutors
- Writing Tutors Introduction
- Purdue Writing Lab Quick Tour
- Meeting One-on-One with Students
- Tutoring a Résumé
- Tutoring Cover Letters
- Tutoring Creative Writing Students
- Tutoring Lab Reports
- Tutoring Grammar
- Tutoring Deaf Clients
-
Teaching Resources
- Teaching Resources
- Conducting an Interview Presentation
- Writing Workshops for Graduate Students
- Writing Process Presentation
- Organizing Your Argument Presentation
- Peer Review Presentation
- Visual Rhetoric Slide Presentation
- Writing a Literary Analysis Presentation
- Effective Persuasion Presentation
- Teaching and Assessing Grammar
- Analytical Research Project Presentation
- Conducting an Interview Presentation
- Job Acceptance Letter Presentation
- Invention Presentation
-
Preventing Plagiarism
- Preventing Plagiarism Introduction
-
Contextualizing Plagiarism
- Contextualizing Plagiarism
- Truth or Consequences
- Handout: Truth or Consequences
- The Big Picture
- Authorship and Popular Plagiarism
- Copyright and Plagiarism
- Handout: Copyright and Plagiarism
- Collaborative Authorship
- Handout: Collaborative Authorship
- Defining Our Terms
- Class Plagiarism Policy
- Comparing Policies
- Handout: Comparing Policies
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Avoiding Plagiarism
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
- Peer Summarizing
- Anonymous Paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing from Media
- Handout: Paraphrasing from Media
- Using In-text Citations
- Handout: Using In-text Citations
- Quoting Others
- Handout: Quoting Others
- Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation in Context
- Handout: Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation in Context
- Translingual Writing
-
Writing in the Engineering Classroom
- Why Include Writing in Engineering Courses?
- Using Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Types of Writing Assignments for Engineering Courses
- Conceptual Writing Prompts
- Explain-a-Problem Writing Prompts
- How Stuff Works Writing Prompts
- Real-World Example Writing Prompts
- Design-a-Problem Writing Prompts
- Open-Ended Design Writing Prompts
- Writing Tips for Students
- Assessment and Feedback of Engineering Writing
- Research Team
-
Writing Instructors
-
Subject-Specific Writing
-
Professional, Technical Writing
- Professional, Technical Writing Introduction
- Workplace Writers
- Effective Workplace Writing
- Audience Analysis
- Prioritizing Your Concerns for Effective Business Writing
- Parallel Structure
- Activity and Postmortem Reports
- Tone in Business Writing
- HATS: A Design Procedure for Routine Business Documents
- Basic Business Letters
- Accentuating the Positives
- Memos
- Four Point Action Closing
- Grant Writing
- Donation Request Letters
- Technical Reports & Report Abstracts
- White Papers
- Revision in Business Writing
- Business Writing for Administrative and Clerical Staff
-
Writing in Literature
- Writing in Literature Introduction
- Literary Terms
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Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism
- Introduction to Literary Theory
- Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction
- Formalism
- Psychoanalytic Criticism
- Marxist Criticism
- Reader-Response Criticism
- Structuralism and Semiotics
- Postmodern Criticism
- New Historicism, Cultural Studies
- Post-Colonial Criticism
- Feminist Criticism
- Gender Studies and Queer Theory
- Ecocriticism
- Critical Race Theory
- Critical Disability Studies
- Writing About Fiction
- Writing About Literature
- Writing in Literature (Detailed Discussion)
- Writing About Poetry
- Image in Poetry
- Poetry: Close Reading
- Writing about World Literature
- Writing About Film: Terminology and Starting Prompts
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Writing in the Social Sciences
- Writing in the Social Sciences Introduction
- Social Work Literature Review Guidelines
- Writing in Psychology: Experimental Report Writing
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Writing in Engineering
- Engineering Project Documentation
- Writing in Engineering Introduction
- Writing Engineering Reports
- Handbook on Report Formats
- Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)
-
INDOT Workshop Resources for Engineers
- Introduction
- Readability Presentation
- Readability Handout
- Paramedic Method Presentation
- Paramedic Method Handout
- Adjectives Presentation
- Adjectives Handout
- Intra-Paragraph Organization Presentation
- Intra-Paragraph Organization Handout
- Verb Use Presentation
- Verb Use Handout
- Macro Level Cohesion Presentation
- Macro Level Cohesion Handout
- Micro Level Cohesion Presentation
- Micro Level Cohesion Handout
- Concise Language Presentation
- Eliminating Unnecessary Words Handout
- Parallelism Handout
- Document Design Presentation
- Poster Design Handout
- Group Work Presentation
- Group Work Handout
- Writing Proposals Handout
- Annotated Sample Documents
- Mechanical Engineering Writing Enhancement Program
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Creative Writing
- Creative Writing Introduction
- Fiction Writing Basics
- Pattern and Variation in Poetry
- Pattern and Variation: Aural
- Pattern and Variation: Visual
- Characters and Fiction Writing
- Poetry Writing
- Creative Nonfiction
- Professional Resources for Creative Writers
-
Healthcare Writing
- Healthcare Writing Introduction
- Medical Journalism
- SOAP Notes
- Patient Education Materials
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Writing as a Veterinary Technician
- Writing as a Veterinary Technician
- Patient Signalment, Client Information
- History, Presenting Chief Complaint
- Current Health Status, History
- Past, Birth, and Referral History
- Patient Assessment
- Technician Evaluation
- Interventions
- Rationale for Interventions
- Continued Patient Reassessment
- Desired Resolutions
- Progress Notes
- Discharge Planning
- Legal Issues of Documentation
- Sample Care Plan Example
- Writing as a Professional Nurse
- Journalism and Journalistic Writing
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Writing in the Purdue SURF Program
- Writing in the Purdue SURF Program Introduction
- SURF Workshop Resources Introduction
- SURF Workshop Resources: Problem Statements
- SURF Workshop Resources: Designing Scientific Research Posters
- Writing in Art History
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Professional, Technical Writing
-
Job Search Writing
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Preparing an Application
- Preparing an Application Introduction
- Tailoring Employment Documents For a Specific Audience
- Tips and Terms
- Writing the Personal Statement
- Job Skills Checklist
- Action Verbs to Describe Skills, Jobs, and Accomplishments in Employment Documents
- Example Employment Documents
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Job Search Letters
- Job Search Letters Introduction
- Letters Concerning Employment
- Model Letters for Various Purposes
- Cover Letters 1: Quick Tips
- Cover Letters 2: Preparing to Write a Cover Letter
- Cover Letters 3: Writing Your Cover Letter
- Cover Letters Workshop
- Academic Cover Letters
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Résumés and CVs
- Résumés and CVs Introduction
- Introduction
- Résumé Sections
- Using Two Pages or More
- Scannable Résumés
- Résumé Design
- Scannable Résumés Presentation
- Management Résumés
- Résumé Workshop
- Reference Sheets
- Writing the Curriculum Vitae
- Sample Résumés
- Résumés for Military Veterans
- Video Résumés
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Preparing an Application
-
English as a Second Language
- ESL Instructors, Tutors
-
ESL Students
- ESL Students Introduction
- US Higher Education: A Local Introduction
- Tips for Writing in North American Colleges
- Plagiarism and ESL Writers
- Writing for Global Business Audiences: An Introduction
- Writing for an Indian Business Audience
- Writing for a Chinese Business Audience
- Understanding Writing Assignments
- Writing for a North American Business Audience
- Key Concepts for Writing in North American Colleges
- Audience Considerations for ESL Writers
- Combining Sentences
- Nominalizations and Subject Position
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Prepositions
- Prepositions
- Prepositions of Direction—To
- Prepositions of Direction—Onto
- Prepositions of Direction—Into
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—A
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—B
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—F-O
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—T-W
- Prepositions of Time, Place, and Introducing Objects
- Pronouns
- Punctuation
- Paraphrasing and Summary
- About the OWL
- Purdue OWL Vidcasts