A citation style is a standard approach for documenting sources that you quote, consult, or summarize in your research papers. Proper use of citation styles helps you construct effective papers, share knowledge efficiently with others, and avoid plagiarism.

Different academic disciplines use different citation styles; your instructor may require you to use a particular style, or may allow you use one of your choosing. Below are online tools to help you get started with the citation styles most commonly used at Frostburg State University.

• Landmark's Citation Machine - Plug the information from your resource into the interactive Web form and click to generate standard MLA and APA citations.
  
  
• Research and Documentation Online - Author Diana Hacker categorizes citation styles by discipline and provides current advice for citing in MLA, APA, Chicago, and CBE styles.
  
  
• UW-Madison's Writing Center Style Sheets - Rules and examples are included here for five different citation styles: APA, APSA, Chicago/Turabian, CBE, and MLA.