Clarity and Chaos: Is There a Preferred Citation Style in Business Academic Literature?

While there is no official style for business writing, the most common citation style in business research has not been determined previously. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the top scholarly business journals to determine the most commonly used citation style in business academic research. The author used the list of 452 top business journals included in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) Journal Citation Report. The results show that 69% of business journals use a publisher-dictated style, whereas of the “traditional” citation styles, 11% use the American Psychological Association style, 10% use Harvard style, 8% use Chicago style, and none use Modern Language Association style. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]