Purpose of Style Guides
Style guides such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and AP are sets of rules designed to create consistency and clarity in documents. They provide guidelines for everything from formatting citations and references to punctuation, capitalization, margins, and grammar use. By following a specific style guide, you’ll be in a better position to create clear, professional, and formatted communications according to the expectations of a particular field, industry, company, or publication.
Following a commonly accepted style guide is important for readers as it promotes uniformity, making your document easier to navigate, understand, and reference information.
Common Style Guides
APA
Style
APA
American Psychological Association. Used in the social and behavioral sciences and in fields such as psychology, education, sociology, business, communication, science, and health sciences.
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MLA
Style
MLA
Modern Language Association. Used primarily in the humanities, especially in studies related to English, literature, language, film, philosophy, art, and religion.
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CHICAGO
Style
Chicago
The Chicago Manual of Style. Used primarily in the trade publication industry, especially where footnotes and endnotes are helpful for readers, Chicago is common in history, non-fiction literature, archeology, law, and humanities.
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AP
Style
AP
Associated Press. Used primary in fields related to journalism, including public relations, broadcasting, and sometimes corporate communications.