Different styles are set by different universities, academic associations, and publishers, often published in an official handbook with in-depth instructions and examples. There are many different citation styles, but they typically use one of three basic approaches: parenthetical citations, numerical citations, or note citations.

Different kinds of reference styles Depending on the way in which they record sources, scholarly reference styles can be divided into three main categories: documentary notes styles, parenthetical (or author-date) styles, and numbered styles. Within each category there are several, slightly different reference styles.

However, there are three basic types of referencing styles that members of different disciplines make use of at different points in academic research and writing. They include: Modern Language Association (MLA). American Psychological Association (APA). Chicago/Turabian style.