APA Referencing vs. Chicago Referencing

Attribute	APA Referencing	Chicago Referencing
Author Format	Last name, First initial.	Last name, First name.
Title Format	Italicized	Italicized
Publication Date Format	(Year)	Year
Page Numbers Format	p. Page number	Page number
Reference List Order	Alphabetical by author's last name	Alphabetical by author's last name

Introduction

When it comes to academic writing, proper citation is essential to give credit to the original sources of information and to avoid plagiarism. Two commonly used citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association) referencing and Chicago referencing. While both styles serve the same purpose, they have distinct attributes that set them apart. In this article, we will compare the attributes of APA Referencing and Chicago Referencing to help you understand the differences between the two.

Formatting

One of the key differences between APA Referencing and Chicago Referencing is the formatting of citations. APA style uses an author-date format, where the author's last name and the publication year are included in the in-text citation (Smith, 2019). In contrast, Chicago style uses footnotes or endnotes for in-text citations, with a bibliography at the end of the document. This means that in Chicago style, the citation is placed at the bottom of the page or at the end of the document, rather than within the text itself.

In-text Citations

Another difference between APA Referencing and Chicago Referencing is the way in-text citations are presented. In APA style, the author's last name and the publication year are included in parentheses at the end of the sentence (Smith, 2019). In Chicago style, the citation is presented as a superscript number at the end of the sentence, which corresponds to a footnote or endnote that provides the full citation information. This means that in Chicago style, the reader can easily locate the full citation information at the bottom of the page or at the end of the document.

Bibliography

Both APA Referencing and Chicago Referencing require a bibliography or reference list at the end of the document to provide full citation information for all sources used in the paper. However, the format of the bibliography differs between the two styles. In APA style, the bibliography is titled "References" and is organized alphabetically by the author's last name. Each entry includes the author's name, publication year, title of the work, and other publication information. In Chicago style, the bibliography is titled "Bibliography" and is organized alphabetically by the author's last name or by the title of the work if no author is present. Each entry includes the full citation information for the source, including the author's name, title of the work, publication information, and page numbers.

Usage

APA Referencing is commonly used in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and education, as well as in business and nursing. It is also widely used in academic writing and research papers. Chicago Referencing, on the other hand, is commonly used in history, literature, and the arts, as well as in some social science disciplines. It is also used in publishing and journalism. The choice of citation style often depends on the discipline or the preferences of the instructor or publisher.

Conclusion

In conclusion, APA Referencing and Chicago Referencing are two popular citation styles that have distinct attributes in terms of formatting, in-text citations, bibliography, and usage. While both styles serve the same purpose of giving credit to the original sources of information, they differ in how citations are presented and organized. Understanding the differences between APA Referencing and Chicago Referencing can help you choose the appropriate citation style for your academic writing or research paper.