The best way to do this is to study the main style manuals used professionally. In the States, those would be th MLA, AP, and Chicago style manuals. MLA is employed broadly in academia. AP is a mainstay in journalist writes. Chicago is a news style, but is also broadly applied in books and articles.

My own style is a bit of blend of the three. That's one of the benefits of these three styles – they dovetail nicely once learned.