To avoid plagiarism, students must cite other author’s work using a specific citation style that is determined by the professor. There are several different styles, for example, MLA (Modern Language Association), APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago, Turabian, and CSE (Council of Science Editors). Remember that before you start your research for a paper, you must either review the syllabus or ask your professor which documentation style is appropriate for the class. If your professor tells you that you can choose your own style, the most popular style is the MLA format.
Moreover, you have two types of citations: 1) In-text meaning that the author gives the source (often in a single phrase), the year of publication, and sometimes the page number in parentheses. The two styles that require in-text citations are MLA and APA. However, Chicago and Turabian documentation uses end-notes for many of the humanities, including literature, history, and the arts. These notes which contain bibliographic information appear at the end of the page signaled by a number that appears at the end of the cited material, for example. Then you will have the corresponding number at the bottom of the page.
The Purdue OWL Citation Chart: For a comparison of MLA, APA, and CMS styles of documentation, please visit, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20110928111055_949.pdf
Click here for a short review with examples of each of the most commonly used styles. (PDF)