Types of Documentation Styles

1. MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA)

a. used by researchers in the fields of Literature, History, and Arts

b. gives bibliographic citations in notes that correspond to reference numbers
in the body of the paper
c. Footnotes – when they are printed at the foot of the page
d. Endnotes – when they are printed at the back of the book, at the end of the
chapter, or at the end of the article or a journal does not require to make
bibliography because the endnotes can already give you full bibliographical
details
e. However, to help readers locate the source the data, notes and bibliography
must appear in your paper.

Ex. Suarez, Jonathan L. Technical Writing. Quezon City: U.P. Press, (2012)

2. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)

a. Is used by researchers in the fields of natural sciences and social sciences

b. More researchers nowadays, regardless of their area of concentration,
prefer using this style
c. Essential parts of APA documentation
i. Text Citation – it is enclosed in parentheses found in the body of the
text.
ii. Reference List – at the end part of the book

d. It only gives brief information in the text citation but gives full bibliographical
details in the reference list.

Ex. Suarez, J.L. (2012) Technical Writing. Quezon City: U.P. Press

To Distinguish:

APA (American Psychological MLA (Modern Language

Association) Association)

Use for sciences Use for Literature and Arts

In-text citation: In-text citation:

 (Author’s Last Name, Year, Page
Number)
Example: (Martinquilla, 2020, p. 15)
Citations: “Bibliography”
Author’s Last Name, Initial. Title
Example:
Austen, J. (1918.) Pride and prejudice.
Newton Press.
(Author’s Last Name and Page
Number)
Example: (Martinquilla 15)
Citations: “Works Cited”
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title
Example:
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Newton Press, 1918.

APA (American Psychological MLA (Modern Language Association)

Association)
Short quotations:
According to Clugston (2014), literary
experiences can become "a personal
journey,
a quest for meaning" (p. 15).
Long quotations:
Wayne Clugston (2014) discusses
literature's
connection to humanity:
Stories are still essential in our lives:
We share them with our children,
look to them for entertainment, and
read them because at the core of our
being there's a powerful curiosity
about human relationships and how
to cope in the world in which we find
ourselves. (p. 15)
Short quotations:
Wayne Clugston says that literary
experiences
can become "a personal journey, a
quest for
meaning" (15).
Long quotations:
Wayne Clugston discusses literature's
connection to humanity:
Stories are still essential in our lives:
We
share them with our children, look to
them for entertainment, and read them
because at the core of our being there's
a powerful curiosity about human
relationships and how to cope in the
world in which we find ourselves. (15)

3. IEEE
a. stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
b. commonly used citation style in electrical and electronic engineering, in
computer science, and in other technical disciplines. It is also used in IEEE’s
own publications.
c. just a number in brackets, pointing the reader to the relevant reference.

Example:
IEEE in-text citations

Flann [11] argues strongly in favor of this method. However, as mentioned earlier [1],
[3], [7]–[9], several objections have been made …

IEEE references (provide full information on your sources, so that readers can locate
and consult them.)

Book:

B. Rieder, Engines of Order: A Mechanology of Algorithmic Techniques.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam Univ. Press, 2020.

Journal:

Boglaev, “A numerical method for solving nonlinear integro-differential equations of

Fredholm type,” J. Comput. Math., vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 262–284, May 2016, doi:
10.4208/jcm.1512-m2015-0241.

Website:

M. McGrath. “Climate change: ‘Sand battery’ could solve green energy’s big
problem.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61996520
(accessed Jul. 5, 2022).

Read more: https://www.scribbr.com/category/ieee/