Formatting & Style Guides

What Are Formatting Styles?

Formatting styles are set of grammar, formatting, and citation rules created for publishing within certain fields.

The specific rules of formatting differs depending on which formatting style is used. Certain formatting styles are used more often in specific academic fields due to the specific needs and desires of that field. See the drop-down box below for an example.

Example: APA vs. MLA

For example, APA Style, which prioritizes the use of dates within in-text citations (Ex: (Smith, 2013, p. 5), is generally used within fields of science. In scientific fields, it is important to know when information was first published because science is a constantly evolving field where new discoveries can deem outdated scientific research invalid and inapplicable.

In contrast, MLA Style, which does not prioritize the use of dates within in-text citations (Ex: Smith, 5) is generally used within the language arts. In the language arts, it is less important to know when a literary work was written because new literature does not invalidate old literature.

Why Do Formatting Styles Matter?

Formatting styles are used for several purposes:

  • To properly attribute the original work, ideas, and information of others within academic texts.
  • To present effective scholarly communication.
  • To organize papers in ways that are visually appealing as well as easily digestible, readable, and scannable.

Academic fields use formatting styles to standardize the look and composition of scholarly work within the field. 

Formatting Style Overviews, Guides, and Examples

Navigate the tabs below to learn more about the APA, APSA, Chicago/Turabian, and MLA formatting styles.

The American Psychological Association (APA) Style is a format and citation guideline that is usually used when writing in the social sciences. APA Style is updated periodically and new manuals are published to ensure changes to the style are properly communicated to those who use it. The current published APA Style guide is the 7th Edition. The information on this site will reflect the current rules and guidelines published in the 7th Edition. 

Many courses/programs at Casper College use APA Style, such as psychology, sociology, nursing, principles of research, and others. The Writing Center at Casper College is an excellent source of information when it comes to using APA Style. Do not hesitate to stop into the center when you have questions.

Key Concepts for Writing a Paper

  • When starting a new APA Style paper, it is important to know the general format guidelines.  See the APA Formatting post below for more information. 

  • Next, READ your sources and choose which sources will be used in your paper. Prepare the reference entry for each source; this will help you know what the in-text citations will look like when you start writing. For details about putting together a reference page, check out the APA Reference Page post below.

  • Finally, while writing your paper, it is important to use in-text citations to label where source ideas are used in your text. In APA Style, you must use in-text citations when summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting material gathered from a reference. Check out the APA In-Text Citations post for more information.  

APA Reference Page

APA References Page APA Style has four defined elements that appear in their references: Author, Date, Title, and Source. APA defines these elements in the

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March 12, 2025 No Comments

APA In-Text Citations

APA In-Text Citations APA Style uses the (Author, Date, Page) format where “Author” is the last name of the author and “Date” is the year

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February 24, 2025 No Comments

APA Formatting

Formatting an APA Paper Universal Rules Student Paper Title Page Professional Paper Title Page Abstract Paper Body APA Style requires writers to do the following:

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February 20, 2025 No Comments

The Modern Language Association (MLA) Style is a document format and citation guideline that is used in the Humanities for the purpose of listing sources and giving credit to original authors for their ideas. The current published MLA Style guide is the 9th Edition. The information on this site will reflect the current rules and guidelines published in that edition.

Many courses/programs at Casper College and the University of Wyoming use MLA Style, such as literature studies, philosophy, languages, religion, art, and others. The Writing Center at Casper College is an excellent source of information when it comes to using MLA Style. Do not hesitate to stop into the center when you have questions. 

Key Concepts for Writing a Paper

  • When starting a new MLA Style paper, it is important to know the general format guidelines. See the MLA Format post for more information.

  • Next, READ the sources your discovered for your paper and choose which ones are going to be included in your paper. It is helpful to prepare the works cited entries as you choose each source, and what information will be used in corresponding in-text citations. For details about putting together your sources, check out the MLA Works Cited post.

  • While writing your paper, it is important to mark where source information is used using in-text citations. In MLA Style, you must use in-text citations when summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting material gathered from a source. Take a look at the MLA In-Text Citations post to learn more. 

MLA Formatting Rules

Formatting an MLA Paper Basic Format Rules MLA Style required writers to do the following: Use 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, double spaced, with 1″

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February 20, 2025 No Comments

MLA Works Cited

MLA Works Cited The 9th Edition of MLA does not modify the citation style introduced in the 8th Edition. The goal of the 9th Edition

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February 4, 2025 No Comments

MLA In-Text Citations

MLA In-Text Citations MLA Style uses the (Author Page) format where “Author” is the last name of the author of the publication and “Page” is

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February 3, 2025 No Comments

American Political Science Association (APSA) published the most recent “Style Guide for Political Science” in 2018. Information in this book will reflect this publication. If you are familiar, you will find that APSA Style follows closely to the Chicago Manual Style (17th Edition). 

Here at Casper College and other associated universities, you will find APSA Style used most in the Political Science Department. APSA Style is used for article submission to any American Political Science Association Journals, so the style is important to know if you have plans to publish your political science research. 

Since APSA Style Guide is designed for the purpose of producing a publishable manuscript, some rules are made to be vague on purpose. The intent is that each journal you submit your article to will have specific guidelines you will have to follow in addition to the APSA Style Guide.

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