Ask an Instructor Which Citation Style Applies

Before you write

Use this example when different course documents appear to suggest different referencing conventions and you need one authoritative instruction. Gather the details below so the recipient can act without asking you to reconstruct the situation.

• Assignment reference
• Conflicting style instructions
• Official course guidance location

An email you can adapt

The subject “Citation-style check for [assignment]” identifies the request. Replace each bracketed field with a checked detail and remove any sentence that does not describe your situation.

Subject: Citation-style check for [assignment]

Hi [name],
For [assignment], I found [style A] in [reference] and [style B] in [other reference]. Could you confirm which instruction applies to this submission and point me to the current guidance? I will keep source attribution accurate while checking the required presentation. I am not asking for permission to omit citations. If the styles apply to different parts of the work, please explain that boundary so I can use them consistently.
Best, [sender]

Check the boundary

Correct formatting does not replace accurate attribution, and a citation-style question should not obscure missing sources.

What a useful reply should settle

The answer should identify the applicable guidance and resolve the specific apparent conflict.

Apply the confirmed convention and check that every used source remains accurately represented.