W&L

University Library

Avoiding Plagiarism

Have questions about what is permissible for your specific class?
Ask your professor for guidance.

Citation Styles

Unfortunately, there is no universally agreed-upon "style" for documenting the use of sources in research and writing—no single method for formatting footnotes, bibliographies, endnotes, in-text citations, etc.

The W&L University Library provides help citing sources and using citation management tools (like Zotero). Three commonly used styles are The Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA [Modern Languages Association] Handbook, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Explore these resources below.