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Citation Styles

Your guide to common citation styles.

Scientific Styles

The American Institute of Physics comprises several member societies in such diverse fields as astronomy, acoustics, structural sciences, and more. 

The American Medical Association is a major national healthcare organization. Through the Journal of Medical Association (JAMA) Network, the organization publishes in the fields of cardiology, internal medicine, dermatology and more. 

American Chemical Society (ACS) is a non-profit science organization that supports chemistry practitioners.

The Council of Science Editors (CSE) is a not-for-profit organization that supports editorial professionals publishing in the sciences. CSE style is used for many of the natural and physical sciences. 

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a professional association for electrical and electronics engineers. For any items not listed in the official IEEE editorial style manual (see below), please consult the Chicago Manual of Style. 

Vancouver style, also known as the author-number system, is used mainly in medicine and health sciences. There is no official Vancouver style guide, however details can be found in the e-book Citing Medicine from the National Library of Medicine. Alternatively, see some quick guides below. 

Graduate students who are planning to publish their work should consider style rules dictated by the specific academic journal they plan to submit to. Many journals have in-house styles; this information can typically be found on the journal's website under a heading titled "Publishing - Information for Authors" or something similar. Please see some examples below.