Instead of appearing at the bottom of the page like footnotes, the reference information and explanations are listed together in numerical order at the end of the chapter or at the end of the whole document. A Bibliography is used to neatly list all the sources alphabetically. The Rules Several organizations have published guidelines which are used around the world for writing formal papers. The guidelines include rules for proper grammar, capitalization, page numbering, punctuation, paragraph indentions, references, etc. The top three for American publishing are listed below.
None are available to read online.
Naturally, they want you to buy a copy. The Chicago Manual of Style , published by the University of Chicago Press , is particularly concerned with writing for publication in books. This style uses footnotes. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , of the American Psychology Association is particularly aimed at writing for professional journals. This manual uses parenthetical references and endnotes.