Sciences
| Field | Dominant style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Biology & life sciences | CSE | Both name-year and citation-sequence variants in use |
| Chemistry | ACS | Numeric, journal-specific variants common |
| Physics | AIP or numeric house styles | Often journal-specific; numeric is standard |
| Environmental science | APA or CSE | Varies by program — check syllabus |
Social Sciences
| Field | Dominant style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | APA 7 | APA originated in this field |
| Sociology | ASA or APA | ASA for discipline-specific journals |
| Economics | APA or Chicago AD | Varies heavily by institution |
| Political science | APSA (Chicago AD variant) | Some programs use plain APA instead |
| Anthropology | AAA (author-date) | American Anthropological Association style |
Humanities
| Field | Dominant style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| English literature | MLA 9 | Near-universal default |
| History | Chicago Notes-Bibliography | The standard across nearly all history departments |
| Philosophy | Chicago NB or MLA | Varies by program |
| Art history | Chicago NB | Footnotes accommodate visual/provenance detail |
| Linguistics | MLA or APA | Increasingly leans APA in social-science-adjacent programs |
| Religious studies | Chicago NB or MLA | Check department guidance |
One Tool, Every Field
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| Field | Dominant style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | APA 7 | Standard across nearly all nursing programs, including DNP and capstone work |
| Medicine (clinical, US journals) | AMA | Numeric, used in most US medical journals |
| Medicine (international journals) | Vancouver | The international medical citation standard |
| Public health | APA or Vancouver | Depends on whether the program is policy-oriented (APA) or clinical (Vancouver) |
| Pharmacy | AMA or Vancouver | Numeric systems dominate |
Law
| Jurisdiction | Dominant style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Bluebook | Footnote-based, extensive case/statute abbreviations |
| UK & Commonwealth | OSCOLA | Footnote-based, Oxford-developed standard |
Engineering, Computer Science & Business
| Field | Dominant style | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | IEEE | Numeric, near-universal |
| Computer science | IEEE or ACM | ACM uses a numeric system similar to IEEE for many of its publications |
| Business | APA or Harvard | Harvard more common outside the US |
How to Use This Guide
This reference reflects common conventions across each field cluster — not a guarantee of what your specific program requires. Always confirm against your actual assignment brief or syllabus first; see our guide on choosing the right citation style for your discipline for the full decision process when guidance isn't explicit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some fields use multiple styles?
Fields that sit at the intersection of two traditions — political science between Chicago AD and APA, linguistics between MLA and APA — often see real variation between programs, sometimes even between professors within the same department.
Is there a global "correct" answer for interdisciplinary programs?
No — interdisciplinary programs (like many nursing DNP or public health doctorates) typically pick one style as a program-wide standard, most often APA, regardless of which fields the coursework draws from.
Do citation style requirements change between undergraduate and graduate work in the same field?
Rarely for the style itself, though graduate and doctoral work often enforces stricter formatting precision and expects more source diversity within the same required style.
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Whatever style your field requires, Bibloq generates it correctly — paste a source and pick from 21 supported formats.
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