More Style Manuals and Citation Guides
Style manuals have evolved from early printers' manuals into tools for authors, editors, and students. They range from general style manuals to those intended for use within a specific discipline, or even within the pages of a single journal.
Most style manuals contain much more than examples of footnotes and bibliographies. Advice on grammar and punctuation, tips on conducting research, and recommendations on the appearance of the finished paper are commonly found. Thus, the distinction between the style manual and the writing guide can be subtle.
Included in the following list are specialized manuals for various disciplines, bibliographies which may be consulted in order to locate additional manuals, and several guides to term paper writing and manuscript preparation.
For basic style guides useful for undergraduate work, see the Citing Sources page.
Finding Resources
Style Manuals by Discipline
Duke University Theses and Dissertations
Manuscript Preparation Guides
Non-Print Style Guides
General Guides and Resources
Finding Resources
The following resources will be useful in locating manuals that specific disciplines or publications use. Other sources, such as chapters 6-8 of Mullins's guide (under More General Style Manuals), provide similar information:
Style Manuals of the English-Speaking World: A Guide
- Perkins PN147. H694 1983
- This annotated bibliography arranges general and specialized manuals according to discipline. Covers in two broad sections general style manuals, and subject-specific ones ranging from Agriculture to Zoology.
Duke Online Catalog - The online catalog may be useful in locating additional style manuals. Some appropriate subject headings are:
Authorship--Style manuals
Bibliographical citations
Electronic publishing--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Manuscript preparation
Report writing--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Research--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Style Manuals by Discipline
Chemistry
The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors
- 2nd ed. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, 1997
- Perkins Reference: QD8.5 .A25 1997
Engineering
A Guide to Writing as an Engineer
- New York: Wiley, 2005
- Perkins/Bostock Stacks: T11 .B396 2005
Government
Style Manual: An Official Guide to the Form and Style of Federal Government Printing
- Washington: G.P.O., 2008
- Available online
- Perkins Public Documents: GP 1.23/4:ST 9/2008
- Writers often find the GPO manual (primarily a printer's tool) useful. Particularly helpful are its many lists and a guide to the typography of foreign languages.
Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Writers and Librarians
- Rev. ed. Bethesda, Md.: Congressional Information Service, c2002
- Perkins Reference J9.5 .C446 2002 (Also in Lilly Library Ready Reference, Law Library, and Medical Center Library Reference)
- In addition to detailed information on U.S. government documents, other chapters address state, regional, and international documents. Includes brief bibliographies of style manuals and "standard government documents reference sources."
United Nations Editorial Manual: A Compendium of Rules and Directives on United Nations Editorial Style, Publication Policies, Procedures, and Practice
- New York: Department of Conference Services, United Nations, 1983
- Perkins UN Documents ST/DCS/2
- Primarily for use in the production and publication of United Nations Documents, this manual addresses mainly English language style. Includes sections on usage, spelling, capitalization, planning tables, preparing maps for inclusion in text, and other matters.
Health Sciences
Author's Handbook of Styles for Life Science Journals
- Boca Raton: CRC Press, 1996
- Perkins: R119 .A85 1996 (Also in Medical Center Library: WZ345 At65a 1996)
The Writer's Workbook: Health Professionals' Guide to Getting Published
- Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 1999
- Available online
- Medical Center Library: WZ345 F73w 1999
Writing for Nursing Publications
- Thorofare, N.J.: Slack, 1988
- Durham Regional Hospital 971230(ahs) accession# 8624
Writing for Publication in Nursing
- New York : Springer Pub. Co., c2010
- Medical Center Library: WZ 345 O29w 2010
Humanities
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing
- 2nd ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2008
- Perkins Reference Desk PN147 .G444 2008 Also in Lilly Library and Law Library
- Updates and details about citing web pages available online.
- This MLA guide is intended for graduate students. Chapters include "Guidelines for author-publisher relations," "Copyright," and "Preparation of Theses and Dissertations," in addition to the usual sections on mechanics and documentation format.
MHRA Style Guide :A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses
- London: Modern Humanities Research Association, 2002
- Perkins PN146 .M634 2002
- The MLA Handbook's British cousin.
Journalism
In newspaper publishing, style manuals ensure consistency and conformity in matters as mundane as capitalization and as arcane as whether the paper will use kaffeklatsch or coffee klatch. The United States boasts four major journalistic style manuals.
The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual: Including Guidelines on Photo Captions, Filing the Wire, Proofreaders' Marks, Copyright
- Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books, c1998.
- Ford Reference PN4783 .A83 1998b. Earlier edition in Perkins.
- In wide use among newspapers, this manual features a dictionary format and includes instructions on everything from setting up a box score to filing a story on the wire. Contains the usual rules for punctuation and such.
New York Times Manual of Style and Usage
- New York: Times Books, 1999
- Perkins Reference PN4783 .S57 1999. Also in Law; earlier edition in Ford.
- Similar in arrangement, but different in content, from the Associated Press Stylebook.
Washington Post Deskbook on Style
- New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978
- Library Service Center 651.7402 W319 LSC
- Entirely different in format from the above two manuals, this one includes essays by such luminaries as Ben Bradley and Charles Seib, plus helpful information on writing in general and for the Post in particular.
Broadcast News Manual of Style
- 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1994
- Perkins Reference PN4784.B75 M24 1994
- This manual pertains to broadcast rather than print journalists. It addresses script layout, writing and presenting news, pronunciation, and word usage.
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation
- Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Law Review Association, 2000
- Law Reference KF245 .U55 2000. Older editions in Perkins and Ford.
- This is the prescribed citation manual for Duke law students.
ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation.
- Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Law and Business, 2000
- Law Reference KF245 .A45 2000
Military History
Style Guide for Military History
- Washington, D.C.: Editorial Branch, Center of Military History, Department of the Army, 1981
- Perkins Reference Z253 .C46 1981
Music
Words and Music: Form and Procedure in Theses, Dissertations, Research Papers, Book Reports, Programs and Theses in Composition.
- Hackensack, N.J.: Boonin, 1971.
- Music Reference 781.98 H478W Also in Music stacks.
Writing About Music: An Introductory Guide.
- Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002
- Music 808.06678 W769 W956 2002
Physics
American Institute of Physics. AIP Style Manual
- 4th ed. New York: American Institute of Physics, 1990
- Library Service Center QC5.45 .A45 1990.
Political Science
Political Science Student Writer's Manual
- Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995.
- Perkins Reference JA86. S39 1995
- Includes a large section about writing different types of political science papers, from book reviews to public opinion survey papers.
American Political Science Association’s style manual
Psychology
The Psychologist's Companion: A Guide to Scientific Writing for Students and Researchers
- 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, c1993
- Perkins Reference BF76.8 .S73 2003
- This guide offers formal instruction for writing psychology papers. Also covers grant proposals and book proposals.
Sociology
American Sociological Association - ASA Style Guide
- 2nd ed. Washington, DC: ASA, 1997.
- Perkins Reference HM586 .A837 1997
A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers
- 4th ed. New York: Worth, 2001
- Perkins Reference HM585 .G78 2001
Duke University Theses and Dissertations
Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations
- Durham, N.C.: Graduate School, Duke University, 2006.
- http://gradschool.duke.edu/academics/theses/index.php
- Includes instructions and samples of forms for submitting theses and dissertations to the Graduate School at Duke University.
- 7th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.
- Perkins LB2369 .C3 1986. Earlier editions in Perkins Stacks.
- This general guide to writing papers covers the basics of research, format, documentation, and mechanics.
Manuscript Preparation Guides
Mullins, Carolyn J. The Complete Manuscript Preparation Style Guide.- Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
- Perkins PN160 .M8 1982
- Of particular note are chapters 6, 7, and 8, which discuss fourteen common styles. A helpful bibliography lists major and minor styles plus numerous other guides to good writing. Also includes a primer on copyright and permissions.
- 5th ed. Canberra, Australia: Australian Govt. Pub. Service, 1996.
- Perkins PN147 .S89 1996
- Based on the Harvard Style, used widely in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Non-print Style Guides
Walker, Janice R. and Todd Taylor. Columbia Guide to Online Style.- New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
- Perkins Reference Desk PN171.F56 W35 1998. Also held in Lilly Ready Reference, Divinity, Ford and Law.
- Part one is a detailed section on citing electronic resources. Examples are given for humanities and scientific styles. Part two focuses on electronic style.
- New York: Broadway Books, 1999.
- Perkins QA76 .15 .W55 1999
- A hip and irreverent style guide.
- Medford, N.J. : Information Today, 1996.
- Perkins Reference Desk PN171. F56 L5 1996. Also held in Divinity, Ford, Law, and Medical Center.
- A detailed guide to citing electronic sources.
- Chicago: American Library Association, 1978.
- Lilly Reference 808.02 F596 S938; LSC
- This manual is designed to be a "companion to any one of the style manuals for the writing of research papers and theses." In addition to citations for video recordings, motion pictures, and slides, sample citations are given for materials--such as dioramas, games, globes, flash cards, and realia--that other manuals typically do not mention.
- 2nd. ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2006.
- Perkins Reference ZA4228 .R33 2006
- Chapter six covers "When and How to Cite Web Sources" for the humanities and scientific research.
General Guides and Resources
Strunk, William and White, E. B. The Elements of Style.- 4th edition. New York: Longman, 2000. Perkins Reference PE1408 .S772 2000; multiple editions available at other libraries, including a revised 2005 edition.
- 1918 edition available through Project Bartleby.
- The classic resource for style and grammar.
- (rev. and enlarged edition of Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford.)
- Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Perkins Reference PN147 .N42 2005 Earlier edition (Hart's Rules) in Perkins stacks.
- New York: McGraw-Hill, 1983.
- Perkins PN147 .M47 1983
- Covers the mechanics of writing and manuscript preparation. Also in Ford and Lilly Reference.
Journal-Specific Styles
Those intending to submit their work to a specific journal should be aware of the publication's stylistic requirements. Often each issue includes information for authors.
House Manuals
Most publishing houses produce style manuals as guides for their authors and editors.
919-660-5870
(Perkins Circulation Desk)
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