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Style Guides Cheat Sheet

A quick reference to various style guides, covering aspects of grammar, punctuation, formatting, and general writing principles to maintain consistency and clarity in written communication.

Overview of Style Guides

Purpose of Style Guides

Style guides establish standards for writing and design to ensure consistency within a publication or across multiple projects. They cover grammar, punctuation, capitalization, formatting, citation, and more.

Using a style guide helps maintain a professional image, reduces errors, and improves readability by presenting information in a uniform manner.

Common Style Guides

APA Style

Primarily used in social sciences, education, and psychology for research papers and publications.

MLA Style

Common in humanities, literature, languages, and cultural studies for academic writing.

Chicago Manual of Style

Used in a wide range of fields, including history, literature, art, and general publishing.

AP Style

Employed by journalists and news organizations for consistent reporting.

Key Elements Covered

Style guides typically address several core elements:
  • Grammar and Punctuation: Rules for sentence construction, comma usage, apostrophes, etc.
  • Capitalization: Guidelines for capitalizing titles, headings, and proper nouns.
  • Formatting: Rules for font, spacing, margins, headings, and lists.
  • Citation: Methods for citing sources, including in-text citations and bibliography entries.

APA Style Guidelines

Basic Formatting

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12-point font.
  • Spacing: Double-spaced throughout the entire paper, including the title page, abstract, body, references, appendices, tables, and figures.
  • Margins: 1-inch on all sides.

In-Text Citations

Parenthetical Citation

(Author, Year)

Narrative Citation

Author (Year)

Direct Quote

(Author, Year, p. X) or (Author, Year, para. X)

Reference List

  • Start on a new page after the body of the paper.
  • Center the word “References” at the top.
  • Alphabetize entries by the first author’s last name.
  • Use a hanging indent.

Journal Article Format
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), page range. DOI

MLA Style Guidelines

Basic Formatting

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12-point font.
  • Spacing: Double-spaced throughout the entire paper.
  • Margins: 1-inch on all sides.
  • Header: Last name and page number in the upper right corner.

In-Text Citations

Parenthetical Citation

(Author’s Last Name Page Number)

Work Cited in Text

Author’s Last Name (Page Number)

Works Cited Page

  • Start on a new page after the body of the paper.
  • Center the words “Works Cited” at the top.
  • Alphabetize entries by the first author’s last name.
  • Use a hanging indent.

Book Format
Author, Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Year.

Chicago Manual of Style Guidelines

Notes and Bibliography vs. Author-Date

Chicago offers two main citation styles:

  • Notes and Bibliography: Used primarily in humanities, literature, history, and the arts. It relies on footnotes or endnotes to cite sources, supplemented by a bibliography.

  • Author-Date: Used primarily in sciences and social sciences. It uses parenthetical citations in the text and a reference list.

Notes and Bibliography Style

Footnote/Endnote
  1. First Name Last Name, Title of Book (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), Page Number.

Bibliography Entry

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Author-Date Style

In-Text Citation
(Last Name, Year, Page Number)

Reference List Entry
Last Name, First Name. Year. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher.
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