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Use this guide to learn about the research process and plan your research project.

Welcome to the Research Planning Guide

What are citations styles

Citations are meant to help the research process.  The citation helps you find the original source of the idea or quote.

Citation styles are taken from style guides or manuals that have been created to help authors of books and articles be consistent and comprehensive when writing for publication. 

The three styles used at DBU are:

  • APA - American Psychological Association
  • MLA - Modern Language Association
  • Turabian (Chicago) - from the University of Chicago; Kate L. Turabian wrote her manual to interpret the Chicago style for students writing theses and dissertations.

Using style guides may seem like a lot of extra work, but when you stick to a particular style, you are less likely to leave out important details, like dates or page numbers, that can help your readers locate your sources. 

What Style Should YOU Use?

  • The Writing Center website features information packets showing you how to format your paper according to APA, MLA, or Turabian (Chicago) style. 
  • Your professor will probably tell you which style to use.  Check your syllabus or assignment guidelines if you're not sure. 

Citation Help

The DBU Writing Center exists to help students write better papers. Their website explains the services they provide, and includes great handouts (available online as PDFs) that will help you learn the ins and outs of APA, MLA, and Turabian styles.

Other sites that offer great information about citation styles:

Official Sites with links to the parent organizations, including purchase information for the official style handbooks:

ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. You can seamlessly add sources and produce perfect bibliographies.

The programs listed below will help you collect, organize, and manage citations in any style you choose. Some programs will also help you format your paper in the appropriate style. (Commercial sites offer programs for purchase.)