The oldest and the very first citation style, introduced in 1906, is the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), which is still used today. The widely used citation styles in today’s modern arena of scholarly research and publication of journals, research papers, and books include APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Vancouver. However, there are no historical traces of the use of the ILI citation style, and it appears to have been introduced by the Indian Law Institute for their journal named the Journal of Indian Law Institute and Annual Survey of Indian Law. There is no proper standardized definition and format available from third-party reliable sources for the ILI citation style.
Most scholars utilize software such as Microsoft Word or similar word processing programs for writing research papers, theses, and dissertations. These software packages often include built-in formatting options for various citation styles, including but not limited to APA, MLA, IEEE, ISO, and Chicago, making it easier for researchers to adhere to specific formatting guidelines while writing their documents.
Although citation styles such as APA, MLA, IEEE, ISO, and Chicago were among the oldest introduced and used citation styles, over time, all of these styles have undergone amendments known as editions. The 7th edition of APA was published in 2019, and it introduced several changes:
- In-text citations for works with three or more authors: In the 7th edition, all in-text citations for works with three or more authors are abbreviated to the first author’s name followed by “et al.” This is a departure from the 6th edition, where “et al.” was used only after the first citation.
- Inclusion of DOI and URL: In the 7th edition, it is recommended to include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL for all references whenever possible. This helps readers locate the source easily. The 6th edition did not emphasize the inclusion of DOIs or URLs to the same extent.
- Inclusion of publisher location: The 7th edition recommends including the publisher’s location for books, which was not consistently required in the 6th edition.
- Expanded guidance on citing online sources: With the increasing prevalence of online sources, the 7th edition provides expanded guidance on citing various types of online content such as social media posts, online videos, and webpages. The 6th edition had less detailed guidance on citing online sources.
- Inclusion of new reference types: The 7th edition introduces guidance on citing new types of sources that have become more common, such as podcasts, mobile apps, and datasets.
- Changes to formatting: The 7th edition introduces changes to the formatting of headings, title page, and other elements to make the manual more user-friendly and accessible.
The list of most common and widely used citation style across the world:
| Citation Style | Introduced In | In-Text Citation Format | Latest Edition | Latest Edition Year |
| MLA | 1951 | Author-page | 8th Edition | 2016 |
| APA | 1929 | Author-date | 7th Edition | 2019 |
| Chicago | 1906 | Author-date, Notes-bibliography | 17th Edition | 2017 |
| Harvard | Late 19th Century | Author-date | N/A | N/A |
| Vancouver | 1970s | Numerical | N/A | N/A |
| IEEE | 1963 | Numerical | N/A | N/A |
| AMA | 1962 | Numerical | N/A | N/A |
| ACS | 1963 | Numerical, Author-year | N/A | N/A |
| Turabian | 1937 | Author-date, Notes-bibliography | N/A | N/A |
ILI Citation Style
The ILI citation style lacks any historical precedent and appears to be a self-proclaimed citation format introduced by a specific institute or group of educators. Private journals sometimes establish general guidelines for the format of research papers, theses, and citations, and ILI seems to be one such case, possibly introduced for their convenience. Indian organization UGC and foreign organizations, which release guidelines on higher education style and provide accreditation, accept the aforementioned citation styles. However, there is no definition or standardization of the ILI citation.
