What are Documentation Styles?

• A standard approach to the citation

of sources that the author of a paper
has consulted, abstracted, or quoted
from
• Prescribes methods for citing
references within the text, providing
a list of works cited at the end of the
paper, and even formatting headings
and margins
What are Documentation Styles?
• Different academic disciplines use
different documentation styles.
• It is important to fully understand the
documentation style to be used in
your paper, and to apply it
consistently.
• It allows you to give credit for
secondary sources you have used in
writing your paper.
What are Documentation Styles?
• Citing sources not only gives credit
where it is due, but also allows your
reader to locate the sources you have
consulted.
• In short, the reader of your paper
must be able to use the information
you provide, both in the text and in
appended list(s), to duplicate the
research you have done.
What do I need to document?
In general, you must document information that originates in
someone else’s work. All of the following should be
accompanied by a reference to the original:
• Direct quotations
• Paraphrases and summaries
• Information and ideas that are not common knowledge or
are not available in a standard reference work
• Any borrowed material that might appear to be your own if
there were no citation
Which style should I use?
Choosing the appropriate
documentation style for your paper
may depend on three factors:
✓ The requirements of the particular
course;
✓ The standard for the discipline in
which you are studying; or
✓ Your individual preference.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTATION STYLES
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION vs. MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)

▪ A system used by researchers in

the fields of natural sciences and
social sciences
▪ The use of this style requires less space and time.
▪ More researchers nowadays, regardless of their area of
concentration, prefer using this style of documentation.
Two Essential Parts of APA Documentation
➢ Text Citation ➢ Reference List
Enclosed in parentheses and Found at the end part of the
found in the body of the text book

✓ APA system gives only brief information in the text citation but
gives full bibliographical details in the reference list.
MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA)

▪ A system used by researchers in

the fields of Literature, History,
and Arts

▪ It gives bibliographic citations in notes that correspond

to reference numbers in the body of the paper.
▪ These notes are called footnotes and endnotes.
➢ Footnotes Footnotes vs. Endnotes
Notes that are printed at
the bottom of the page

➢ Endnotes
Notes that appear at the
end of the document
✓ Some authors prefer using endnotes rather than footnotes to
economize on space, time, and effort of the typist and to make
the paper appear more physically presentable.
▪ The MLA documentation does
not require you to make
bibliography because the
endnotes can already give you
full bibliographical details.
However, to help readers locate
the source of the data, these
two - notes and bibliography -
must appear in your paper.
 CONTRASTING MLA AND APA
ASPECT APA SYSTEM
Writing the author’s Full surname first then followed by
name initials of first and middle name
Writing the title of the Italicized title with only the
reading material beginning word capitalized
(Exception: Capital for every proper
noun)
Writing the copyright Written after the author’s name
date
Example:
Suarez, J.L. 2012. Technical writing.
Quezon City: U.P. Press.
MLA SYSTEM
Full surname first followed by full
first name and optional initial of the
middle name
Underlined or italicized title with all
content words capitalized
Written after the publisher’s name
Example:
Suarez, Jonathan L. Technical
Writing. Quezon City: U.P. Press,
(2012).
Sources:
A. Book
Baraceros, Esther L. 2011. Technical Writing in This Era of Globalization and Modern
Technology. Manila: REX Publications.
B. Internet
• http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE3ODk1NjJfX0FO0?sid=eec67c5
c-0935-4c89-a352-252031a37b12@sessionmgr4008&vid=4&format=EB&lpid=lp_vii&rid=0
• https://library.ku.ac.ae/footnotes
• https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/documentation/about-documentation-
styles/#:~:text=A%20documentation%20style%20is%20a,even%20formatting%20headings%20and%
20margins