Skip Navigation
Skip to Menu Toggle Button
Online Guide to Writing and Research

Academic Integrity and Documentation

Giving Credit to Sources

Style Guides

What are Style Guides?

A style guide is a set of rules for formatting and presenting information in written work. Scholars usually adhere to guides related to their discipline. For example, psychologists and counselors use the style guide from the American Psychological Association. Review your course syllabus and/or ask your instructor to determine the required style guide for your assignment.  Your library is an excellent resource for advice about adhering to a specific style.

Why do writers use Style Guides?

Style guides help writers produce clear, consistent documentation. 

Key Takeaway

Use the style guide specified by your instructor (or your field of study) to properly document the work of others used in your writing. 


Mailing Address: 3501 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, MD 20783
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. © 2022 UMGC.
All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located at external sites.

Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing