Fine Arts

Citation Styles

Citation styles define how citations or references are organized and formatted within a paper.  The three most commonly used citation styles in higher education include:  

• Modern Language Association (MLA) Style: used in literature, arts, humanities, and some other disciplines.
• Chicago Manual of Style (CMS): used most often in history, art, and visual studies. Sometimes referred to as Turabian.
• American Psychological Association (APA) Style: used in social sciences such as anthropology, business, psychology, sociology, and political science.

If you are not sure which one to use, ask your instructor what citation style she or he prefers you to use for your assignments. This guide contains examples of common MLA and CMS citations. For additional examples, download the linked handouts below.

Online Guides

Recommended guides to the MLA and CMS styles.

Print Guides

Print copies of the official CMS and MLA Style Guides are always available for in-library use at the Simpson and Meyer Libraries.