Rhetoric and Composition Research Guide

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, educators, and professionals in psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing, social work, and justice administration, and other disciplines. In addition to providing clear guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, the Publication Manual offers an authoritative and easy-to-use reference and citation system and comprehensive coverage of the treatment of numbers, metrication, statistical and mathematical data, tables, and figures for use in writing, reports, or presentations.

Chicago style is perhaps one of the more complex citation styles because it is really two systems under one name.  The Notes/Bibliography system is used mainly in the humanities.  The Author/Date style is typically used by those in the physical, natural, and social sciences.  The main difference between the two systems the preference for notes (Notes/Bibliography) or parenthetical in-text citations (Author/Date) within the document.  For more specific information on the Chicago style, please refer to chapters 14-15 of the Chicago Manual of Style.

Turabian is Chicago style for students and researchers, based on the Chicago Manual of Style by Kate Turabian.  The two styles are so similar, they are often grouped together.  The main difference between the two styles, besides minor punctuation rules, is that Turabian has been adapted to suit the needs of students whereas Chicago focuses more on publication.  For more specific information on Turabian style, please refer to the Citations & Plagiarism guide.

Scientific style and format : the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers presents three systems for referring to references (also known as citations) within the text of a journal article, book, or other scientific publication: 1) citation–sequence; 2) name–year; and 3) citation–name. These abbreviated references are called in-text references. They refer to a list of references at the end of the document.

The system of in-text references that you use will determine the order of references at the end of your document. These end references have essentially the same format in all three systems, except for the placement of the date of publication in the name–year system.

Though Scientific Style and Format now uses citation–sequence for its own references, each system is widely used in scientific publishing. Consult your publisher to determine which system you will need to follow.

While finding the right information is important, it is also just as important to use that information ethically. 

Concerns, procedures and sanctions about academic honesty are articulated in the FIU Code of Academic Integrity which was adopted by the Student Government Association on November 28, 2001. The following Pledge from the FIU Student Handbook specifically discourages plagiarism:

As a student of this university:

1. I will be honest in my academic endeavors.
2. I will not represent someone else's work as my own.
3. I will not cheat, or will I aid in another's cheating.

 Use of the World Wide Web as a research resource has exacerbated the problem of plagiarism in colleges and universities worldwide.

Here are links to online citation generators.  For the purposes of creating a quick, one-time citation in the correct style, these websites will generate citations once the information has been provided.

Looking for more in-depth citation help?  Visit our citation guides for help and info on specific styles and document types and citation generator comparisons.    

Save with a single click. 

• save an unlimited number of references, fulltext, and other research materials
• import from online databases, catalogs, reference management tools, and your computer 
• quickly save references and fulltext from any web page
• automatically complete citation data using comprehensive ProQuest databases

​Refworks is robust - Organize, Retrieve, Read, and Annotate.

• organize your data with collections and tags
• quickly search and find your references and fulltext document
• read and annotate fulltext documents with highlights and comments from anywhere
• sync your data to Dropbox and have a local copy of your fulltext

With RefWorks you can smoothly and seamlessly share collections and work with others simultaneously. 

• collaborate on projects with share full access to resources
• allow collaborators granular levels of access
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• interactively read, comment, and annotate fulltext with your collaborators
• Google Docs integration makes for easy collaboration

Write and Cite with RefWorks

• generate bibliographies and citations in a snap for any authoring tool
• use RefWorks integrations to insert in-text citation in Word or Google Docs
• leverage thousands of pre-built citation styles and request new styles
• customize citation styles or even create your own from scratch