Introduction:

Whether you are writing an academic paper, technical documentation, or a research report, citing manuals is essential for giving credit to the source and establishing the credibility of your work. Properly citing your sources will help prevent plagiarism and enable others to follow up on your references. In this article, we will explore three common ways to cite manuals: APA style, MLA style, and Chicago style.

1.APA Style:

The American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used in social sciences and academia. In APA style, you should cite the manual both in-text and in your reference list with proper formatting.

In-text citation:

(Author or Organization’s Name, Year of Publication, page number)

Example: (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2017, p. 25)

Reference list entry:

Author or Organization’s Name. (Year of Publication). Title of the manual (edition if applicable). Publisher.

Example: National Institute of Health. (2017). NIH laboratory safety manual (3rd ed.). U.S. Government Publishing Office.

2.MLA Style:

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is widely used in humanities research papers. In MLA style, you need to cite the manual in your in-text citation and a corresponding Works Cited page.

In-text citation:

(Author or Organization’s Name page number)

Example: (National Institute of Health 25)

Works Cited entry:

Author or Organization’s Name. Title of the Manual. Edition if applicable, Publisher, Year of Publication.

Example: National Institute of Health. NIH Laboratory Safety Manual. 3rd ed., U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2017.

3.Chicago Style:

The Chicago Manual of Style provides a comprehensive guide on citation for various forms through footnotes or endnotes along with a bibliography at the end.

Footnote/Endnote citation:

Author or Organization’s Name, Title of the Manual (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication), page number.

Example: National Institute of Health, NIH Laboratory Safety Manual (Washington, DC: United States Government Publishing Office, 2017), 25.

Bibliography entry:

Author or Organization’s Name. Title of the Manual. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

Example: National Institute of Health. NIH Laboratory Safety Manual. Washington, DC: United States Government Publishing Office, 2017.

Conclusion:

Citing manuals is an imperative aspect of ethical research and writing. APA, MLA, and Chicago styles are among the standard citation methods to give credit to your sources. Make sure you adhere to the guidelines for each citation style in your writing project so that your work remains accurate and credible.