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Styling
Which
style should I use?
The
choice as to which style is appropriate for a given paper
may be determined by three factors: the requirements of the
particular course, the standard for the discipline in which
you are studying, or your individual preference.
Your instructor may assign a documentation style for papers
to be written for that course. This will often be indicated
on the course syllabus or in the paper assignment, but may
simply be mentioned during class. If no documentation style
is prescribed, you should ask whether the instructor has a
preference. If no preference is indicated, then you are free
to choose a style.
In doing so, consider which style will be most appropriate
for your area of specialization. If you are pursuing a major
in the humanities, consider learning the MLA style. If behavioral
or social sciences are likely to be your interest, then the
APA style may be most appropriate.
If you don't know what you want to major in, or aren't particularly
interested in adopting a documentation style that will last
your whole life long, then what you should do is read on,
because we're just about to launch into a little comparison
of the distinguishing features of the most commonly used documentation
styles. Take a look around, choose a style that fits your
style, and then go to its pages to learn how to use it.
Guide
A
Review of Documentation Styles
Documentation
styles provide methods for you to cite (refer to the original
source of) the information you quote from or refer to in your
paper. The difference between quoting and referring may seem
small, but it is significant; therefore, some documentation
styles emphasize the former, while others focus on the latter.
You should provide a quotation from a source when the wording
of the original is important. If the author makes a point
in a particularly insightful, original, or concise way, then
you should allow that author's words to speak for themselves.
This is most often done in humanities disciplines, such as
the study of history and literature, because often the words
used are as important as the meaning they convey. Thus, the
primary documentation style used in the humanities, that of
the Modern Language Association (MLA), allows for page numbers
alone to appear after quotations; the author and work are
usually clear from the context in which the quotation appears.
In the scientific disciplines, by contrast, quotation is less
often used than reference. The purpose of referring to the
previous research of others is to establish findings and evaluate
results; the word choice of individual scientists is less
important. Therefore, the documentation style established
by the American Psychological Association (APA) provides for
author and date to be provided after a reference; the page
number is omitted unless a quotation is included (it often
isn't).
An example may be helpful here. The author of the first passage
wishes to capture the flavor of the original by quoting; the
author of the second simply wishes to refer to the original
to help make a point.
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