Major Citation Styles: A Comprehensive Guide with Practical Examples

Citation styles are like organized ways of giving credit to other people’s ideas. They create a culture of respect and honesty when sharing information in academic writing.These styles vary widely across disciplines and geographies, tailored to meet the specific needs of different fields. 

This guide looks into the major citation styles, their origins, popular subjects, geographical popularity, and presents practical examples to illustrate the differences among them. 

Popular Citation Styles Summary

Citation Style	Country of Origin	Popular Subjects	Geographical Popularity
APA	United States	Psychology, Education, Social Sci	Globally, especially US
MLA	United States	Literature, Arts, Humanities	US, Canada
Chicago	United States	History, Arts, Humanities	US, widely in publishing
Harvard	United Kingdom	Business, Education, Social Sci	UK, Commonwealth
IEEE	United States	Engineering, Computer Sci, IT	Globally in technical fields
Vancouver	Canada	Medicine, Science, Health Sci	Medical journals worldwide

Example

Throughout the article we will be using the below example to explain the differences in various formats. Example citations mentioned in the articles are generated using  this Citation Generator which supports all the popular styles mentioned in this article APA Citation Generator, MLA Citation Generator and also available in Spanish. 

Article for Citation Example:

Authors: Jane Dad and John Stalin

Title: “Innovations in Renewable Energy”

Journal: Journal of Green Technology

Volume: 15

Issue: 2

Year: 2024

Pages: 100-120

MLA (Modern Language Association) Style:

Country of Origin: United States

Popular Subjects: Literature, Arts, and Humanities

Citation Example:

Dad, Jane, and John Stalin. “Innovations in Renewable Energy.” Journal of Green Technology, vol. 15, no. 2, 2024, pp. 100-120.

Chicago Style:

Country of Origin: United States

Popular Subjects: History, Arts, and Humanities

Chicago Style (Author-Date) Citation Example: 

Dad, Jane, and John Stalin. 2024. “Innovations in Renewable Energy.” Journal of Green Technology 15, no. 2: 100-120.

Harvard Referencing:

Country: United Kingdom

Popular Subjects: Business, Education, and Social Sciences

Citation Example: Dad, J. & Stalin, J., 2024. Innovations in renewable energy. Journal of Green Technology, 15(2), pp.100-120.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Style

Country of Origin: United States

Popular Subjects: Engineering, Computer Science, and Information Technology

Citation Example: [1] J. Dad and J. Stalin, “Innovations in renewable energy,” J. Green Technol., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 100-120, 2024.

Vancouver Style

Country of Origin: Canada

Popular Subjects: Medicine, Science, and Health Sciences

Citation Example: 1. Dad J, Stalin J. Innovations in renewable energy. J Green Technol. 2024;15(2):100-120.

Main Contrasts;

APA; Focuses, on the writer(s). The year of publication suitable for areas where up to date research is vital.

MLA; Highlights the page range catering to fields where particular passages are closely examined.

Chicago (Author Date); Similar to APA but favored in disciplines that emphasize bibliographies.

Chicago (Notes Bibliography); Allows for footnotes perfect for in depth commentary on sources.

Harvard; Comparable to APA but commonly used in the UK and associated with the author date citation style with differences in punctuation and formatting.

IEEE; Uses a system connecting in text citations to a reference list, which is efficient for technical and engineering fields.

Vancouver; Also employs a system. Is specifically tailored for the medical sciences placing emphasis on concise and sequential documentation of sources.

Each citation style has established its norms and procedures to meet the communication requirements of academic disciplines and professions. By following these styles scholars ensure clarity, consistency and academic honesty, in their research.