Appendices
The following errors are commonly observed across citation styles. Awareness of these distinctions will prevent the most frequent mistakes in academic writing.
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Not including page numbers for direct quotations | Add p. XX or para. X: (Ahmed, 2022, p. 45) |
| Using publisher location in book references | APA 7 removed publisher location — omit it |
| Title case for article titles in the reference list | APA uses sentence case for article and chapter titles |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Arranging references alphabetically | Vancouver reference lists are numerical (order of first citation) |
| Giving a new number to a repeated citation | Reuse the original number every time the same source is cited |
| Listing all authors regardless of number | List first 6 authors only; add et al. for 7 or more |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Including the year in in-text citations | MLA uses Author–Page only: (Smith 45), not (Smith 2020, 45) |
| Adding 'p.' before page numbers in citations | MLA omits 'p.': write (Smith 45), not (Smith p. 45) |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Using a comma between author and year | Harvard omits the comma: (Ahmed 2022), not (Ahmed, 2022) |
| Forgetting access dates for online sources | Harvard requires: Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year) |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Using the same full footnote for repeat citations | Use a shortened note after the first citation; ibid. for immediate repeats |
| Confusing N&B and Author–Date within one paper | Choose one system and apply it consistently throughout |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Using superscript instead of bracketed numbers | IEEE uses square brackets on the line: [1], not superscript |
| Writing author names as Surname, Initials | IEEE format is Initials then Surname: J. A. Smith |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Placing superscript citation before punctuation | AMA places superscript AFTER punctuation (e.g., findings.¹) |
| Adding periods to abbreviated journal names | AMA omits periods: write JAMA not J.A.M.A. |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Confusing NLM parenthetical numbers with APA author–date | NLM uses (1) (2) (3); APA uses (Author, Year) |
| Common Error | Correct Practice |
|---|---|
| Including sources in the list that are not cited in the text | Reference lists / Works Cited contain only sources cited in the text (except Chicago Bibliography and Harvard Bibliography) |
The table below summarizes the key features of all citation styles covered in this guide. Use it to quickly identify which style applies to your field and understand how it differs from others.
| Style | System | Typical Fields | List Heading | List Order | Official Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Author–Date | Psychology, Education, Social Sciences, Nursing, Business | References | Alphabetical | apastyle.apa.org |
| Vancouver | Numeric | Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy | References | Numerical | icmje.org |
| MLA 9 | Author–Page | Literature, Humanities, Languages, Cultural Studies | Works Cited | Alphabetical | style.mla.org |
| Harvard | Author–Date | Sciences, Social Sciences, Business, Law | Reference List | Alphabetical | Cite Them Right |
| Chicago N&B | Notes & Biblio | History, Arts, Philosophy, Literature | Bibliography | Alphabetical | chicagomanualofstyle.org |
| Chicago A–D | Author–Date | Social Sciences (Chicago variant) | References | Alphabetical | chicagomanualofstyle.org |
| IEEE | Numeric | Engineering, Computer Science, IT, Telecommunications | References | Numerical | ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org |
| AMA | Numeric | Clinical Medicine, Public Health, Biomedical Research | References | Numerical | amamanualofstyle.com |
| NLM | Numeric | Biomedical Research, Health Sciences, PubMed journals | References | Numerical | ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |
This guide is part of the Academic Library Citation Series. All examples follow current official style guidelines. Always verify with the latest edition of the relevant style manual.
Library © Copyright 2026