Online Resources
Style Guidelines
MLA Style
In most literature and humanities courses, professors expect students to employ the MLA (Modern Language Association) style guidelines for punctuation, layout and document citation. Most journals in the humanities also expect submissions to follow the MLA system. The MLA does not publish its guidelines online, though they are available in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research papers, 6th ed. (New York: MLA, 2003) MLA document style demands in-text citations that refer to a final list of works cited.
APA Style
Most social and behavioral science professors and publications, on the other hand, expect submissions to follow the APA (American Psychological Association) guidelines for punctuation, layout and document citation. While the APA release some of their guidelines online, the best resource is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. (Washington: APA, 2001). APA document style demands in-text citations that refer to a final list of references.
Chicago Style
This style, typically demanded of students and publications in history, represents the last of the “big three.” The producers of this manual offer its entire content online (to subscribers) as well as in a published version: The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003). Chicago document style demands citations that refer to a final bibliography.
CSE Style
Most science publications follow similar protocols for document sources. These protocols are summated in style sheets typically provided to prospective authors. Since these protocols can vary, sou should always request these style sheets before submitting your document. In general, however, these guidelines typically emerge from those promulgated by the CSE (Council of Science Editors), which have been printed in Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors and Publishers. 7th ed. (New York: Rockefeller UP, 2006). CSE Style covers a variety of citation styles.
Online Grammar Resources
The web is full of excellent grammar resources and sub-par resources. Below you will find a short list of online resources and grammar texts that our editors and instructors have found useful.
The Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides a text-based The Grammar Handbook that covers all of the essentials in a no-nonsense manner. It clearly divides important topics into digestible pieces perfect for new and expert writers.
The Writing Center at the University of Ottawa, meanwhile, offers a Hypergrammar that functions very similarly to the Grammar Handbook, though its design takes better advantage of hyperlink functions, allowing users to quickly develop mental maps of the grammar landscape.
Like the writing centers at Illinois and Ottawa, the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University follows suit by providing a highly useful compendium of grammatical terms, explanation and examples. It also offers handouts for instructors.
Rutger University’s Jack Lynch famous Guide to Grammar and Style offers a concise and pleasant-to-read compilation of grammar and style insights, albeit one slightly hampered by the page’s organization. Lynch’s website also provides a considerable number of secondary resources useful for students and editors.
