mla citation format vs apa

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When we talk about style at EasyBib.com, we’re not talking about the clothes, shoes, or accessories we’re rocking. We’re talking about the best type of style there is — citation styles!

Even though there are thousands of citation styles in existence (yes, thousands!), the world generally revolves around the two most commonly used citation styles: MLA and APA . Both have been around for quite a long time and most students and researchers use one or the other to cite their sources. Even though MLA and APA are popular citation styles that are taught in thousands of schools each year, there are always tons of questions about the differences between the two. That’s why we’ve put together a handy visual infographic showing the main differences between MLA and APA.

If you’ve been wondering what MLA and APA stands for, which disciplines use the styles, how the names of authors and titles are displayed, or how to format MLA in-text citations or APA citations , look no further! Our colorful infographic has the main differences highlighted just for you. It’s easy to read, easy to understand, and will give you the lowdown on the main points you need to know about MLA vs. APA. If that wasn’t enough, we even have examples thrown in to help you make sense of everything. #winning!

After you’ve read through our infographic, head to our homepage, and give our citation generator and grammar checker a whirl. Both are innovative, easy-to-use tools to help rock any and all research projects and written assignments. Head on over and try them out now!

Written by Michele Kirschenbaum. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist.

Do you like Dr. Seuss quotes ? Do you have writing assignments about historical figures like Winston Churchill ? Do you do reports on authors like Mark Twain ? If you said yes to any of these, checkout the EasyBib topic guides for fun history facts and quotes you can use in your next paper.

Citation Guides

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• Citation Examples
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Page Numbers
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide
• Bibliography
• Works Cited
• MLA 8 Updates
• View MLA Guide

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MLA Formatting and Style Guide

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The following overview should help you better understand how to cite sources using MLA  9 th edition, including how to format the Works Cited page and in-text citations.

Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in MLA. See also our MLA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel .

Creating a Works Cited list using the ninth edition

MLA is a style of documentation that may be applied to many different types of writing. Since texts have become increasingly digital, and the same document may often be found in several different sources, following a set of rigid rules no longer suffices.

Thus, the current system is based on a few guiding principles, rather than an extensive list of specific rules. While the handbook still describes how to cite sources, it is organized according to the process of documentation, rather than by the sources themselves. This gives writers a flexible method that is near-universally applicable.

Once you are familiar with the method, you can use it to document any type of source, for any type of paper, in any field.

Here is an overview of the process:

When deciding how to cite your source, start by consulting the list of core elements. These are the general pieces of information that MLA suggests including in each Works Cited entry. In your citation, the elements should be listed in the following order:

• Title of source.
• Title of container,
• Other contributors,
• Publication date,

Each element should be followed by the corresponding punctuation mark shown above. Earlier editions of the handbook included the place of publication and required different punctuation (such as journal editions in parentheses and colons after issue numbers) depending on the type of source. In the current version, punctuation is simpler (only commas and periods separate the elements), and information about the source is kept to the basics.

Begin the entry with the author’s last name, followed by a comma and the rest of the name, as presented in the work. End this element with a period.

Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994.

Title of source

The title of the source should follow the author’s name. Depending upon the type of source, it should be listed in italics or quotation marks.

A book should be in italics:

Henley, Patricia. The Hummingbird House . MacMurray, 1999.

An individual webpage should be in quotation marks. The name of the parent website, which MLA treats as a "container," should follow in italics:

Lundman, Susan. "How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow, www.ehow.com/how_10727_make-vegetarian-chili.html.*

A periodical (journal, magazine, newspaper) article should be in quotation marks:

Bagchi, Alaknanda. "Conflicting Nationalisms: The Voice of the Subaltern in Mahasweta Devi's Bashai Tudu." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature , vol. 15, no. 1, 1996, pp. 41-50.

A song or piece of music on an album should be in quotation marks. The name of the album should then follow in italics:

Beyoncé. "Pray You Catch Me." Lemonade, Parkwood Entertainment, 2016, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/.

*The MLA handbook recommends including URLs when citing online sources. For more information, see the “Optional Elements” section below.

Title of container

The eighth edition of the MLA handbook introduced what are referred to as "containers," which are the larger wholes in which the source is located. For example, if you want to cite a poem that is listed in a collection of poems, the individual poem is the source, while the larger collection is the container. The title of the container is usually italicized and followed by a comma, since the information that follows next describes the container.

Kincaid, Jamaica. "Girl." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, edited by Tobias Wolff, Vintage, 1994, pp. 306-07.

The container may also be a television series, which is made up of episodes.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation, created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, performance by Amy Poehler, season 2, episode 21, Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2010.

The container may also be a website, which contains articles, postings, and other works.

Wise, DeWanda. “Why TV Shows Make Me Feel Less Alone.”  NAMI,  31 May 2019,  www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/May-2019/How-TV-Shows-Make-Me-Feel-Less-Alone . Accessed 3 June 2019.

In some cases, a container might be within a larger container. You might have read a book of short stories on Google Books , or watched a television series on Netflix . You might have found the electronic version of a journal on JSTOR. It is important to cite these containers within containers so that your readers can find the exact source that you used.

“94 Meetings.” Parks and Recreation , season 2, episode 21, NBC , 29 Apr. 2010. Netflix, www.netflix.com/watch/70152031?trackId=200256157&tctx=0%2C20%2C0974d361-27cd-44de-9c2a-2d9d868b9f64-12120962.

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical Journal , vol. 50, no. 1, 2007, pp. 173-96. ProQuest, doi:10.1017/S0018246X06005966. Accessed 27 May 2009.

Other contributors

In addition to the author, there may be other contributors to the source who should be credited, such as editors, illustrators, translators, etc. If their contributions are relevant to your research, or necessary to identify the source, include their names in your documentation.

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard Howard , Vintage-Random House, 1988.

Woolf, Virginia. Jacob’s Room . Annotated and with an introduction by Vara Neverow, Harcourt, Inc., 2008.

If a source is listed as an edition or version of a work, include it in your citation.

The Bible . Authorized King James Version, Oxford UP, 1998.

Crowley, Sharon, and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. 3rd ed., Pearson, 2004.

If a source is part of a numbered sequence, such as a multi-volume book or journal with both volume and issue numbers, those numbers must be listed in your citation.

Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 2008, www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/60/362. Accessed 20 May 2009.

Quintilian. Institutio Oratoria. Translated by H. E. Butler, vol. 2, Loeb-Harvard UP, 1980.

The publisher produces or distributes the source to the public. If there is more than one publisher, and they are all are relevant to your research, list them in your citation, separated by a forward slash (/).

Klee, Paul. Twittering Machine. 1922. Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Artchive, www.artchive.com/artchive/K/klee/twittering_machine.jpg.html. Accessed May 2006.

Women's Health: Problems of the Digestive System . American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2006.

Daniels, Greg and Michael Schur, creators. Parks and Recreation . Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios, 2015.

Note : The publisher’s name need not be included in the following sources: periodicals, works published by their author or editor, websites whose titles are the same name as their publisher, websites that make works available but do not actually publish them (such as  YouTube ,  WordPress , or  JSTOR ).

Publication date

The same source may have been published on more than one date, such as an online version of an original source. For example, a television series might have aired on a broadcast network on one date, but released on  Netflix  on a different date. When the source has more than one date, it is sufficient to use the date that is most relevant to your writing. If you’re unsure about which date to use, go with the date of the source’s original publication.

In the following example, Mutant Enemy is the primary production company, and “Hush” was released in 1999. Below is a general citation for this television episode:

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer , created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, Mutant Enemy, 1999 .

However, if you are discussing, for example, the historical context in which the episode originally aired, you should cite the full date. Because you are specifying the date of airing, you would then use WB Television Network (rather than Mutant Enemy), because it was the network (rather than the production company) that aired the episode on the date you’re citing.

“Hush.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon, performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar, season 4, episode 10, WB Television Network, 14 Dec. 1999 .

You should be as specific as possible in identifying a work’s location.

An essay in a book or an article in a journal should include page numbers.

Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi. “On Monday of Last Week.” The Thing around Your Neck, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, pp. 74-94 .

The location of an online work should include a URL.  Remove any "http://" or "https://" tag from the beginning of the URL.

Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases , vol. 6, no. 6, 2000, pp. 595-600, wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/6/6/00-0607_article. Accessed 8 Feb. 2009.

When citing a physical object that you experienced firsthand, identify the place of location.

Matisse, Henri. The Swimming Pool. 1952, Museum of Modern Art, New York .

Optional elements

The ninth edition is designed to be as streamlined as possible. The author should include any information that helps readers easily identify the source, without including unnecessary information that may be distracting. The following is a list of optional elements that can be included in a documented source at the writer’s discretion.

Date of original publication:

If a source has been published on more than one date, the writer may want to include both dates if it will provide the reader with necessary or helpful information.

Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984. Perennial-Harper, 1993.

City of publication:

The seventh edition handbook required the city in which a publisher is located, but the eighth edition states that this is only necessary in particular instances, such as in a work published before 1900. Since pre-1900 works were usually associated with the city in which they were published, your documentation may substitute the city name for the publisher’s name.

Thoreau, Henry David. Excursions . Boston, 1863.

Date of access:

When you cite an online source, the MLA Handbook recommends including a date of access on which you accessed the material, since an online work may change or move at any time.

Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites, 16 Aug. 2002, alistapart.com/article/writeliving. Accessed 4 May 2009.

As mentioned above, while the MLA handbook recommends including URLs when you cite online sources, you should always check with your instructor or editor and include URLs at their discretion.

A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a series of digits and letters that leads to the location of an online source. Articles in journals are often assigned DOIs to ensure that the source is locatable, even if the URL changes. If your source is listed with a DOI, use that instead of a URL.

Alonso, Alvaro, and Julio A. Camargo. "Toxicity of Nitrite to Three Species of Freshwater Invertebrates." Environmental Toxicology , vol. 21, no. 1, 3 Feb. 2006, pp. 90-94. Wiley Online Library, doi: 10.1002/tox.20155.

Creating in-text citations using the previous (eighth) edition

Although the MLA handbook is currently in its ninth edition, some information about citing in the text using the older (eighth) edition is being retained. The in-text citation is a brief reference within your text that indicates the source you consulted. It should properly attribute any ideas, paraphrases, or direct quotations to your source, and should direct readers to the entry in the Works Cited list. For the most part, an in-text citation is the  author’s name and the page number (or just the page number, if the author is named in the sentence) in parentheses :

When creating in-text citations for media that has a runtime, such as a movie or podcast, include the range of hours, minutes and seconds you plan to reference. For example: (00:02:15-00:02:35).

Again, your goal is to attribute your source and provide a reference without interrupting your text. Your readers should be able to follow the flow of your argument without becoming distracted by extra information.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA

Entire Website

The Purdue OWL . Purdue U Writing Lab, 2019.

Individual Resources

Contributors' names. "Title of Resource." The Purdue OWL , Purdue U Writing Lab, Last edited date.

The new OWL no longer lists most pages' authors or publication dates. Thus, in most cases, citations will begin with the title of the resource, rather than the developer's name.

"MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL, Purdue U Writing Lab. Accessed 18 Jun. 2018.

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• Citation Styles

What is the difference between APA and MLA format?

APA and MLA are two of the most common citation styles. But, what’s the difference between APA and MLA format? In this post, we discuss the differences between APA and MLA. We cover when to use these styles and provide examples of correct APA and MLA citations.

What is APA?

APA style is a citation style that is most commonly used in the social sciences, but also in education, business, and some science fields. APA stands for  American Psychological Association .

Essentially, APA style is a set of rules for formatting citations, title pages , headers, and other aspects of research papers.

What is MLA?

MLA style is the primary citation style for humanities fields like literature. It was developed by the  Modern Language Association of America, an association of scholars and teachers of language and literature.

Like APA, MLA style includes rules for how to format citations and how to structure research papers.

What are the differences between APA and MLA?

Both APA and MLA style require two distinct types of citations:

• in-text citations
• full bibliographic references in a section at the end of the paper

APA and MLA citations also have similar components:

• Book citations contain the author’s name, the title of the book, the publisher, and the publication date.
• Journal article citations contain the author’s name, the title of the work, and the date, but also include the title of the journal, the volume and issue number of the journal, and the page range. Citations for online journal articles also include a DOI.
• Website citations feature the author’s name (if one is available), the title of the website, the date that is was published or accessed, and the URL.

The main differences between APA and MLA are in how they format and structure these elements.

In-text citations

APA and MLA style both utilize parenthetical citations for in-text citations. However, there are key differences between the two:

• ALA parenthetical citations include the author’s last name and the year of publication (Smith, 2020). When a specific page number is cited, the citation also includes p. and the number (Smith, 2020, p. 4).
• MLA parenthetical citations mainly include the author’s last name and a page number, without a comma between the elements (Smith 25).

Papers in APA style may also utilize narrative citations. Here are a few examples of APA narrative citations:

Rode (2012) claims that productive activities have been part of human civilization since ancient times.

In some cases, author and date might both appear in the narrative. In this case, no parentheses are needed:

In 2012, Rode wrote about the productive activities...

If you cite multiple works parenthetically, place the citations in alphabetical order, separating them with semicolons:

(Adams et al., 2019; Shumway & Shulman, 2015; Westinghouse, 2017)

If multiple sources are cited within a sentence, they can appear in any order:

Suliman (2018), Gutiérrez (2012, 2017), and Medina and Reyes (2019) examined...

Bibliographic references

MLA prefers the label “Works Cited” for the bibliography at the end of the paper. This list includes full bibliographic references for all of the cited texts. APA calls this list “References,” and includes both works that were cited and those that were consulted. Both styles alphabetize entries by the first author’s last name.

Additionally, APA and MLA bibliographies differ in how they structure individual entries. The primary differences occur in:

• Author name : While both styles invert the regular order of names (i.e. put the last name first), APA abbreviates the author’s first name and only uses the first letter, followed by a period (Smith, J.). MLA uses both the last name and first name of an author (Smith, Jane).
• Date placement : APA requires the publication date to be in parentheses, following the author’s name: Smith, J. (2020). In MLA, the publication date goes at the very end for books, or after the volume and issue numbers for journals.
• Capitalization : In APA style, you only need to capitalize the first word of a title, the first word following a colon, and any proper nouns. MLA requires you to capitalize all of the words in a title, except for articles.
• Volume and issue numbers for journal articles : Both APA and MLA place the volume and issue numbers of journals after the journal title; however, they format this information differently. APA italicizes the volume number and places it directly against the issue number, which is put in parentheses: 6 (3). MLA style uses the abbreviations, vol. (volume) and no. (number), and places a comma between them: Journal of Pedagogy , vol. 6, no. 3.

APA examples and resources

Here are some examples of full bibliographic citations in APA style:

Atske, S. (2021, April 7).  Social media use in 2021 . Pewresearch.Org. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/

Eskritt, M., Fraser, B., & Bosacki, S. (2021). Did you just lie to me? Deception detection in face to face versus computer mediated communication.  The Journal of Social Psychology , 1–14.

Fuchs, C. (2021).  Social Media: A Critical Introduction  (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Visit these resources to learn more about APA citations and formatting:

APA citation guide (7th edition)

The ultimate guide to citing in APA

Citation styles by discipline

Comprehensive APA guides

APA title page: format and templates

MLA examples and resources

Here are some examples of full bibliographic citations in MLA style:

Works Cited

Edwards, Michael. “The Lost Library of Anne Conway.”  The Seventeenth Century , vol. 36, no. 1, 2021, pp. 119–147.

Farr, Jason S.  Novel Bodies: Disability and Sexuality in Eighteenth-Century British Literature . Rutgers University Press, 2019.

Wall, Wendy. “The Pulter Project.”  Northwestern.Edu , https://pulterproject.northwestern.edu/. Accessed 18 Aug. 2021.

Visit these resources to learn more about MLA citations and formatting:

MLA citation guide (9th edition)

The ultimate guide to citing in MLA

Comprehensive MLA guides

MLA title page: format and templates

Frequently Asked Questions about what is the difference between APA and MLA format

The main differences between APA and MLA format are found in the bibliography. APA style uses a reference list that includes any works cited or consulted; MLA uses a works cited list that only contains texts that were cited in the paper. Also, there are differences in how each style handles key pieces of bibliographic information like titles and names.

If you need to create citations for an assignment, you can ask your instructor which style to use. APA is most commonly used in the social sciences, while MLA is preferred in humanities disciplines.

APA style is used to create in-text citations and bibliographic references for the social sciences and other disciplines.

MLA style is used to create in-text citations and works cited entries for some humanities fields.

Both APA and MLA aim to provide guidance on how to create accurate citations and bibliographies. Using these styles correctly lends credibility to your research and helps you to avoid plagiarism .

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For students and teachers.

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• SCC Research Guides
• Differences between MLA and APA Format

Which subjects use which style?

Always confirm with your instructor which citation style they prefer for their class. Not every course at SCC uses the same citation style.

In-Text Citations

While both MLA and APA requires in-text citations, the format for those citations will look very different.

Source Pages (Works Cited and References)

One major difference between MLA and APA format is how they label and format their source pages. While there are many small differences in MLA and APA formatting (such as the way page numbers are formatted), the below chart will show some of the major, recognizable differences.

Title Pages

If you are writing a paper in APA format, please confirm with your instructor as to whether they require a title page or not for your essay.

• Differences between MLA and APA Format This handout will explain some of the major differences between MLA and APA format.
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How to Format a Citation

Examples of apa, mla, and chicago manual of style, citation styles: american psychological association (apa), citation styles: chicago, citation styles: modern language association (mla), example: direct quote cited in a book, example: reference within a journal article.

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There are two basic approaches to citation:

• In-text citations + a list of references at the end of the paper
• Endnotes or footnotes +/- a bibliography at the end of the paper

Scholars writing in the sciences and social sciences typically use in-text citations, while humanities scholars utilize endnotes/footnotes.

While the two basic approaches to citations are simple, there are many different citation styles.

What is a citation style?

The way that citations appear (format) depends on the citation style, which is a set of established rules and conventions for documenting sources.

Citation styles can be defined by an association, such as the Modern Language Association (MLA), publisher, such as the University of Chicago Press, or journal, such as The New England Journal of Medicine .

What citation style should I use?

The citation style that you use depends on the discipline in which you are writing, and where, or by whom, your work will be published or read.

When in doubt, ask your professor if there is a particular style that he/she would like you to use. 

Where can I find more information on how to cite a specific type of source in a particular style?

The library has style manuals in print and online for several commonly used styles such as American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA) and Chicago.  In addition, there are several excellent citation style guides on the web. (See below)

For examples of APA and MLA and Chicago Manual of Style, visit Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Lab) site.

Frank, H. (2011). Wolves, Dogs, Rearing and Reinforcement: Complex Interactions Underlying Species Differences in Training and Problem-Solving Performance.  Behavior Genetics ,  41 (6), 830-839. 

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Print manual for the APA style, available in the Sciences and Rockefeller libraries.
• Purdue University Online Writing Lab Well-organized, easy-to-follow guide, with numerous examples.
• APA Style American Psychological Association website for the APA Style. Provides tutorials, answers to frequently asked questions, and more.

Frank, H. 2011. "Wolves, Dogs, Rearing and Reinforcement: Complex Interactions Underlying Species Differences in Training and Problem-Solving Performance."   Behavior Genetics  41 (6):830-839. 

• The Chicago Manual of Style Older (15th edition) print manual, available at the Sciences, Rockefeller and Orwig libraries.
• The Chicago Manual of Style Online Current (16th) edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, and answers to frequently asked questions. Off-campus use requires Brown username and password.

Frank, H. "Wolves, Dogs, Rearing and Reinforcement: Complex Interactions Underlying Species Differences in Training and Problem-Solving Performance."  Behavior Genetics  41.6 (2011): 830-39. Print.

• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing Print manual for the MLA style. Available in the Rockefeller Library.
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Print handbook for the MLA. Available in the Rockefeller Library.

Source: Gabriel, R. A. (2001). Gods of Our Fathers: The Memory of Egypt in Judaism & Christianity . Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Press.

Source: Bradt, J., Potvin, N., Kesslick, A., Shim, M., Radl, D., Schriver, E., … Komarnicky-Kocher, L. T. (2015). The impact of music therapy versus music medicine on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients: a mixed methods study. Supportive Care in Cancer : Official Journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer , 23 (5), 1261–71.

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• URL: https://libguides.brown.edu/citations

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Resources – mla vs. apa, introduction to the topic.

As students at Northwestern University, most of us are familiar with the necessity of, and perhaps the basic rules for, citing the sources we reference while writing papers or assignments. Depending on our areas of study, however, we are often most familiar with the requirements of just one style guide when it comes to citations. It can thus be challenging when a professor requests citations according to guidelines with which we are not familiar. This brief citation guide will focus on the rules of two styles most commonly used at Northwestern—those of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). Though the basic formats for each of these styles are not exactly the same, many students might be surprised to see that some similarities actually do exist between the two!

MLA vs. APA: Some Key Differences

In-text citations.

MLA Basic Format:

• In-text citations that refer readers to a list of works cited at the end of the paper
• If the author is named in a signal phrase within the sentence, the page number should be provided in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence (in parentheses, before the period).
• If the author is not named in the sentence, then the last name of the author should appear in the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, with the page number (there should be no punctuation between the name and the page number). Example: (Rodosky 5).

APA Basic Format:

• In-text citations, which provide at least the author’s name and year of publication (the page number should also be given for direct quotations, and some summaries/paraphrases) and refer readers to a list of references at the end of the paper
• A quotation should be introduced by a signal phrase including the author’s name, which should be immediately followed by the year of publication in parentheses; the page number should be included in parentheses after the quotation, preceded by “p.” or “pp.”
• If the author’s name is not included in a signal phrase, then the author’s name, year of publication, and page number should be listed in a parenthetical citation after the quotation.
• For a summary or paraphrase, use the same format as for a quotation (listed above); the page number should still be included to help readers find the passage

Table of Similarities and Differences

Comparison of Rules:

* Purple sections indicate rules that are the same for both styles.

Citations Lists: An MLA Works Cited vs. an APA List of References

Mla works cited.

Basic Formats:

Book Author last name, first name.  Title . City of publication: Publisher, Date. Medium.

Example:  Sacks, Oliver.  Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain . New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.

Article Author last name, first name. “Article title.”  Journal title  volume/issue (year): page(s). Medium

Example:  Shen, Min. “ ‘Quite a Moon!’ The Archetypal Feminine in  Our Town .”  American Drama  16.2 (2007): 1-14. Print.

Website Author last name, first name/organization name.  Title of website . Sponsor of site, year updated. Medium. Date of access (day month year).

Example:  American Library Association.  American Library Association . ALA, 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2009.

* If there is no author, start with the title of the website; if there is no title, use the “home page” or similar description in place of title.

Helpful Hints:

• always include the medium in which the work was published
• shorten publishers’ names to their first principle word; abbreviate “University” and “Press” to “UP”
• use the date on the title page or the most recent date on the copyright page

APA References

Book Author last name, initial(s). (year).  Title . Place of publication: Publisher.

Example : Egeland, J. (2008).  A billion lives: An eyewitness report from the frontlines of humanity . New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Article Author last name, initial(s). (year). Title (article).  Journal title, volume , pages. DOI

Example : Holtug, N. (2010). Immigration and the politics of social cohesion.  Ethnicities, 10 , 435-451. doi:10.1177/1468796810378320

Document from a Website Author(s’) last name, initial(s)/organization name. (online publication date).  Document title . Retrieved from URL.

Example : Cain, A., & Burris, M. (1999, April).  Investigation of the use of mobile phones while driving . Retrieved from http://www.cutr.usf.edu/pdf/mobile_phone_text.PDF

*If referring to specific section in a web document, list the title of the section between the year and the title of web document.

• all author’s names should be inverted, with initials used for their first and middle names
• the date of publication should appear immediately after the author’s name (or title if author is unknown)

Comparison of Rules

Purple sections indicate rules that are the same for both styles.

Practice Exercises: Converting and Correcting Citation Styles

Practice exercise 1.

Exercise 1: Are the following examples of citations correctly formatted? If not, correct them.

(A.) MLA Works Cited

1.) Harris, Shon, Allen Harper, Chris Eagle, and Jonathan Ness.  Gray Hat Hacking . 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 2007. Print

2.) von Drehle, David.  Time . “The Ghosts of Memphis.” 7 Apr. 2008: 34-37. Print.

3.) Plath, Sylvia. “The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.” Ed. Karen V. Kukil. New York: Anchor-Doubleday, 2000. Print.

4.) Peterson, Susan Lynn.  The Life of Martin Luther . Susan Lynn Peterson, 2005. Web. 24 Jan. 2009.

(B.) APA References

1.) Svoboda, Elizabeth. (2008, October 21). Deep in the Rain Forest, Stalking the Next Pandemic.  The New York Times , p. D5.

2.) Musich, M. A., & Wilson, J. (2007).  Volunteers: A social profile . Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

3.) McKenzie, F. R.  Theory and practice with adolescents: An applied approach . Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, 2008.

4.) Eskritt, M., & Mcleod, K. (2008). Children’s note taking as a mnemonic tool.  Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101 , 52-74. doi:10.1016/jecp.2008.05.007

Answer Key for Exercise 1

Exercise 1: (A.) MLA Works Cited

1.) Correct

2.) Incorrect [von Drehle, David. “The Ghosts of Memphis.”  Time  7 Apr. 2008: 34-37. Print.]

3.) Incorrect [Plath, Sylvia.  The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath . Ed. Karen V. Kukil. New York: Anchor-Doubleday, 2000. Print]

4.) Correct

Exercise 1: (B.) APA References

1.) Incorrect [Svoboda, E. (2008, October 21). Deep in the rain forest, stalking the next pandemic.  The New York Times , p. D5.]

2.) Correct

3.) Incorrect [McKenzie, F. R. (2008).  Theory and practice with adolescents: An applied approach . Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.

Practice Exercise 2

Exercise 2: Convert the following citations from MLA format to APA format.

1.) Sacks, Oliver.  Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain . New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.

2.) Shen, Min. “ ‘Quite a Moon!’ The Archetypal Feminine in  Our Town .”  American Drama  16.2 (2007): 1-14. Print.

3.) American Library Association.  American Library Association . ALA, 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2009.

Answer Key for Exercise 2

1.) Sacks, O. (2007).  Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain . New York, NY: Knopf.

2.) Shen, M. (2007). “ ‘Quite a Moon!’ The Archetypal Feminine in  Our Town .”  American Drama   16,  2: 1-14.

3.) American Library Association. (2008).  American Library Association . Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/

Practice Exercise 3

Exercise 3: Convert the following citations from APA format to MLA format.

1.) Egeland, J. (2008).  A billion lives: An eyewitness report from the frontlines of humanity . New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

2.) Holtug, N. (2010). Immigration and the politics of social cohesion.  Ethnicities, 10 , 435-451. doi:10.1177/1468796810378320

3.) Cain, A., & Burris, M. (1999, April).  Investigation of the use of mobile phones while driving . Retrieved from http://www.cutr.usf.edu/pdf/mobile_phone_text.PDF

Answer Key for Exercise 3

1.) Egeland, Jan.  A Billion Lives: An Eyewitness Report From the Frontlines of Humanity . New York: Simon Schuster, 2008. Print.

2.) Holtug, Nils. “Immigration and the Politics of Social Cohesion.”  Ethnicities  10 (2010): 435-451. Print.

3.) Cain, Alasdair and Mark Burris. “Investigation of the Use of Mobile Phones While Driving.”  Center for Urban Transportation Research .   Center for Urban Transportation Research, 1999. Web 14 Jan. 2009.

Developed by Lauren Rodosky

Rules and examples adapted from:

Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Pocket Style Manual: Sixth Edition  (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012).

Click here to return to the “Writing Place Resources” main page.

Education Blog

Apa vs. mla understanding citation styles for academic writing.

In the world of academic writing, mastering the art of citation is not just a requirement; it’s a skill that underscores the credibility and integrity of your work. Whether you’re penning a research paper, thesis, or any scholarly article, knowing when and how to use APA (American Psychological Association) or MLA (Modern Language Association) format is crucial. An essay writing service can help ensure that your work adheres to these essential standard

But why is proper citation so important? It not only gives credit where it’s due but also allows readers to trace the genesis of ideas, fostering a transparent and interconnected academic dialogue.

APA vs. MLA: A Comparative Overview

• Origin and Application

APA and MLA stand as the two colossi in the field of academic citation, each with distinct origins and applications. APA, predominantly used in the social sciences, emphasizes the date of publication, reflecting the importance of recent research in these fields. MLA, on the other hand, is favored in the humanities, particularly for its more flexible approach to authorship and source integration.

• General Formatting Guidelines

Before diving into specifics, understanding the general layout each style adheres to can illuminate the broader differences. APA champions a more structured format, with precise headings and subheadings, while MLA offers a bit more freedom, focusing on the fluid integration of sources into the text.

Understanding APA Format

• In-text Citation

APA format requires the author’s last name and the year of publication within the text, catering to the style’s emphasis on the timeliness of research.

• Reference List

The reference list is a staple of APA, offering a comprehensive overview of every source cited in the paper. This list not only includes books and journal articles but extends to audiovisual and electronic sources, reflecting the modern landscape of research.

Navigating MLA Format

MLA’s in-text citation style is more reader-friendly, often incorporating the author’s name into the narrative of the paper, which can enhance the flow of arguments.

• Works Cited Page

Unlike APA’s reference list, MLA uses a works cited page, emphasizing the work over the publication date. This approach caters to the humanities’ focus on the evolution of ideas over time.

Key Differences Between APA and MLA

• Citation in Text

The most noticeable difference lies in how each style approaches in-text citations. APA’s author-date format contrasts sharply with MLA’s author-page method, reflecting their differing emphases on timeliness and narrative flow, respectively.

• Reference List vs. Works Cited

The terminology and structure of the final list of sources also differ, with APA focusing on a comprehensive reference list and MLA on a more selective works cited page.

When to Use APA and MLA

• Subject Matter Consideration

Choosing between APA and MLA often comes down to the subject matter of your paper. Social sciences, education, and psychology lean towards APA, while literature, arts, and humanities prefer MLA.

• Journal or Publisher Requirements

Always consider the requirements of the journal or publisher. Some are strict about citation styles, so knowing the expected format is essential.

Practical Tips for Effective Citation

• Use Software

Modern citation and reference management software can automate much of the formatting process, allowing scholars to focus more on content than citation styles.

• Stay Updated on Style Guidelines

Both APA and MLA periodically update their guidelines. Staying abreast of these changes ensures your citations remain current and accurate.

• Keep a Detailed Research Log

As you gather sources, maintain a detailed log that includes all necessary citation information. This practice saves time and ensures accuracy when you’re ready to cite. Include notes on key points from each source to help integrate quotes and ideas seamlessly into your writing.

• Understand the Purpose of Each Citation

Each citation style serves a different academic purpose. APA’s focus on dates highlights the timeliness of research, while MLA’s emphasis on page numbers facilitates reader engagement with primary sources. Recognizing this can help you choose the most effective way to incorporate and highlight your research.

• Consistency is Key

Ensure that every citation follows the same format throughout your document. Inconsistencies can distract readers and undermine your work’s professionalism. Pay special attention to punctuation, capitalization, and italicization.

• Use Direct Quotes Sparingly

While direct quotes can strengthen your argument, relying too heavily on them can disrupt the flow of your paper. Summarize or paraphrase where appropriate, and use direct quotes to highlight particularly impactful or unique phrases. Remember to always cite the original source, even when paraphrasing.

• Cross-Check Your Citations

Before submitting your work, double-check your citations against the latest version of the citation style guide. Small errors, such as misplaced commas or incorrect publication years, can compromise your paper’s credibility.

• Cite as You Write

Instead of leaving citations as the last step, cite sources as you incorporate them into your paper. This approach prevents accidental plagiarism and ensures you don’t overlook any sources.

• Seek Feedback

Have peers, mentors, or writing centers review your citations. Fresh eyes can catch mistakes you might have overlooked and provide suggestions for improvement.

The choice between APA and MLA formatting styles is not merely a matter of preference but a strategic decision that reflects the nature of your work, its audience, and the norms of your academic discipline. By understanding the key differences and applications of each style, you can navigate the complex landscape of academic writing with greater ease and precision.

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Citation Styles: APA vs MLA, Vancouver vs Chicago Style

What are citation and citation styles?

A citation style (or formatting style ) is a holistic set of rules and guidelines for creating an academic paper. Different formatting styles give papers a slightly different appearance and structure. 

This article will discuss several commonly applied formatting styles: 

• APA Style (the American Psychological Association style),
• MLA Style (the Modern Language Association style), or
• Chicago Style (the Chicago Manual of Style style),
• Vancouver Style

Formatting style includes information such as how to format the title and author information, margin and line spacing details, in-text citation rules, and reference formatting, among others. Seasoned researchers can usually identify different formatting styles by simply reading an article. Formatting styles are important to follow when submitting to academic journals or other publications. Always check your target journal ’s Guide for Authors section before drafting and editing your journal manuscript.

Formatting References and Author List

One of the most important parts of a research document, academic manuscript, or term paper is the bibliography or reference section . Different subject areas, university departments, and academic journals require different citation styles for in-text citations and reference sections. This article explores four of the most common academic referencing and citation style formats ( APA Style , MLA Style , Chicago Style , and Vancouver Style) for academia and popular journal publications. It also answers common FAQs that students and researchers have about how to choose the best citation style for their work.

Types of Citation

Before we discuss the differences between the various reference or citation style guides, let’s talk about different types of citations that are used in academic documents.

If you refer to a published work, you must provide details so that readers and other researchers can locate and review the original source. Sources can be cited using either endnotes/footnotes or in-text citations. Both styles require a reference list at the end of the document.

Which citation style should I use for my paper?

The most important consideration when choosing which citation style to use is the guidelines of the academic journal or the professor or department of your academic field. However, the section below provides some formatting styles for specific types of academic documents.

Citation styles for college essays

Citation styles for thesis and dissertation by academic department and field.

If you are a researcher or a master’s or PhD student writing a dissertation or thesis, use the following resources:

Best Citation Styles for Journal Submissions

Academic journals usually have their own specific citation style guidelines. In general, most humanities journals use APA or MLA format, while most journals in the sciences use a variation of the Chicago style author-date system. Again, see the Guide for Authors page on your target journal’s website to determine which citation style to use.

A key difference between citation styles in journals is how they handle citing sources with multiple authors. Some journals prescribe using “et al.” for more than one author or more than three authors. For example, Nature and Science even have their own completely separate citation styles. 

Citation Styles: APA vs MLA Format

This table contains frequently asked questions students and researchers have about APA vs MLA format and breaks them down into convenient answers authors can use to learn the basics of their specific academic style. As APA and MLA styles are by far the most popular in the humanities and social sciences, these formatting styles should be well learned by students in these associated subject areas.

APA vs MLA format: in-text citations

• Both MLA and APA styles use parenthetical citations to cite sources in the text. But they call for slightly different information to be included in the parentheses ( ). 
• An APA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the year of publication . When paraphrasing or quoting a passage in the literature, add the page number as well.
• If the work is by two authors, APA format calls to separate the author names with an ampersand (&), while MLA uses “and.” 
• For three or more authors, list the first author followed by “et al.” in both styles.
• An MLA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and a page number.

Citation Styles: Chicago vs Vancouver Format

Chicago and Vancouver are not just two world-class North American cities. They are popular formatting styles used in the hard sciences to order information in bibliographies and reference lists, either by number or by date. This table contains frequently asked questions students and researchers have about Chicago vs Vancouver format and breaks them down into convenient answers authors can use to learn the basics of their specific academic style.

More Wordvice Citation Resources

Wordvice’s academic proofreading services include manuscript editing , dissertation editing , and thesis editing services –use these as your go-to revision resources to prepare your document for submission to journals.

The Wordvice Writing & Editing Guide covers many topics related to academic writing, grammar, and formatting.

Our Language Rules articles provide a clear breakdown and examples of rules related to grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and word choice when writing in English.

Create free citations for any website, book, or journal article source using our four citation generators:

Check out our Academic Resource Blog for dozens of articles and videos on writing and publishing your academic work.

What Citation Style to Use/Links to Guides: Side by Side Comparison Chart of APA, Chicago, and MLA

• Side by Side Comparison Chart of APA, Chicago, and MLA

Compare Citation Style Formats

• Side by Side Comparison Chart - APA, Chicago, and MLA
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Changes in 9th edition

The 9th edition of the MLA Handbook was published in 2021. In this update, the format for both in-text and Works Cited citations is the same as the 8th edition. The 9th edition also includes this clarification on citing a film/DVD.

A film/DVD: Generally list film directors as key contributors in the Contributor element Blade Runner . 1982. Directed by Ridley Scott, director’s cut, Warner Bros., 1992.

Examples of MLA Style

In-text Citation

Creating a Works Cited Page

With MLA style, you must include a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. A Works Cited page is an alphabetical listing of the resources cited in your paper. Below are some examples of MLA style citations. Note: Some instructors may require access dates for websites or other pieces of information. Please check with your instructor if you have any questions.

Online MLA Citation Resources

• Official MLA Style Center A Modern Language Association hosted website with information on MLA citation and related resources. The MLA Style Center does not contain the full text of the handbook, although it walks users through the process of creating an entry in the works cited list.
• Citing AI and ChatGPT MLA's Style Center provides guidance on citing AI, including ChatGPT.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab Online writing lab with formatting tips and sample papers. The "Cite your source automatically" feature on Purdue Owl pages is part of another website, and not recommended.
• Excelsior Writing Lab Citation examples, videos, and formatting guides for MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.
• Government & Legal Documents MLA (9th) Information on citing government print and electronic resources using MLA citation style. (Courtesy of the University of Portland)

What is MLA Style?

MLA (Modern Language Association) style for documentation is widely used in the humanities, especially in writing on language and literature. MLA style features brief parenthetical citations in the text keyed to an alphabetical list of works cited that appears at the end of the work. (Source: Official MLA website)

Core Elements

Each entry in the list of works cited is composed of facts common to most works—the MLA core elements. They are assembled in a specific order.

The concept of containers is crucial to MLA style. When the source being documented forms part of a larger whole, the larger whole can be thought of as a container that holds the source. For example, a short story may be contained in an anthology. The short story is the source, and the anthology is the container.

The Modern Language Association, the authority on research and writing, takes a fresh look at documenting sources in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. Works are published today in a dizzying range of formats. A book, for example, may be read in print, online, or as an e-book--or perhaps listened to in an audio version. On the Web, modes of publication are regularly invented, combined, and modified. Previous editions of the MLA Handbook provided separate instructions for each format, and additional instructions were required for new formats. Starting with the 8th edition of its best-selling handbook, the MLA recommends instead one universal set of guidelines, which writers can apply to any type of source.    (Source: MLA)

MLA Style Introduction

From the University Library, CSU Dominguez Hills

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• Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between MLA and APA

As different disciplines have a different way of researching information and so the method of development, compilation and presentation of that information is also different. Basically, these two formats provide recommendations on the way in which style, content and references are to be formatted.

Here we are going to tell you the differences between MLA and APA format.

Content: MLA Vs APA

Comparison chart, similarities, definition of mla.

MLA style is a formatting style developed by Modern Language Association, to provide the scholars, researchers, and journal publishers working in the field of literature and language, a uniform and consistent way of documenting the sources, research paper layout and presenting their research work.

The association releases the latest edition as a Handbook periodically, which not just contains instructions on MLA format, but also specific guidelines for submission of the work, which complies with the rules and standards of the association.

MLA style gives recommendations on the set of guidelines which the students and scholars can apply in their source. It focuses on the mechanics of writing, i.e. punctuation, citation and documentation. This style is preferred by various schools, colleges, universities, academic departments, etc. worldwide. It is primarily used in humanities, i.e. English language and literature, cultural studies, literary criticism, cultural studies and so forth.

Definition of APA

APA style is the formal style of formatting developed by the American Psychological Association in 1929, setting up rules for journal articles publications and books. The guidelines for the work is provided through the APA publication manual.

The APA style assists the authors to organize their work, while creating a distinct style of references and citations, in the field of behavioural sciences and social sciences. Behavioral Sciences include psychology, neuroscience and cognitive science, whereas social science covers human geography, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, economics, political science, etc.

It aims at providing the reader with a comprehensive text having appropriate headings, list of works cited and preventing plagiarism. It facilitates the researchers and scholars to communicate the facts and information about their projects, ideas, and experiments in a uniform and consistent format.

Basically there are four sections in the paper:

• Title page : It includes running head, title, name of the author and name of the educational institution.
• Abstract : An abstract is the synopsis of your paper, which should be around 150 to 250 words. The word limit can vary as per the requirement. It contains Topic of research, Questions and Hypothesis, Methodology, Analysis and Conclusion
• Main body : The main body is nothing but the essay, which may be divided into different sections.
• References : It contains the list of all the sources which have been referred and used while writing the paper

Key Differences Between MLA and APA

The differences between MLA and APA are discussed here in detail:

• MLA style can be understood as a means of documenting sources and formatting papers, in scholarly writing, developed by the Modern Language Association. On the other hand, APA style is one of the styles of writing papers, publications, books, journals etc. introduced by the American Psychological Association, which is mainly used in social sciences.
• If we talk about sections, there are four main sections in APA format, i.e. title page, abstract, body paragraphs and references. Conversely, the MLA format contains only two main sections which are – body paragraphs and work cited.
• In both direct and indirect in-text citation, in MLA format you don’t need to mention the year, and a comma after the name of the author and a p. before the page number, which is mandatory in the case of APA format.
• The source page, i.e. the page in which we list out all the sources which have been referred, used, or cited during the writing, is called references in case of APA format, whereas the same is known as works cited in MLA format.
• At the time of citing the sources at the end of the document, in MLA style the author’s last name is spelt out and then the first name is written. In contrast, in APA style, the authors last name is written, and the first name is reduced to initials.
• In MLA style, the first letter of all the important words in the title are capitalized and the title is underlined. As against, in an APA style, the first letter of title, subtitle and proper nouns, are capitalized and the title is written in Italics.
• In both styles, the paper needs to be double spaced.
• Font style should be “Times new roman”, with 12 point size.
• There should be a one-inch margin from each side.
• The list of sources used is arranged in alphabetical manner, as per the author’s last name.

One can choose any of the two formats for the work based on the question which is to be answered with the help of research, how the research paper is completed and the procedure applied during the writing process.

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MLA vs APA: Citation & Format Differences

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Frequently Asked Questions about MLA vs APA style

1. which format is more common – apa or mla.

It is difficult to specify which style is more popular so it would be safe to assume that they are equally common. Both APA and MLA are widely used among college students in the US, UK and many other countries. Simultaneously, MLA is more often preferred among high-school students, who are required to use it in their papers. Apparently, the reason is that it is an easier one for starters.

2. Which style is easier to use - MLA or APA?

In general, both APA and MLA styles have clear and straightforward rules which do not make any of them too complicated for an average student to use. At the same time a popular opinion is that MLA style requires less effort since its rules of citing references are less complicated compared to APA. This makes it easy to complete an MLA paper in time.

3. What is the most difficult thing about APA style?

Following rules of APA style is not too complicated for those who are well experienced in writing scientific papers. But if you are a starter, the most difficult element of this style for you would be citing your sources in the bibliography section. The reason is, APA has complex rules of formatting full references, especially when it comes to specific printed issues, volumes and articles in periodicals.

4. Can I use MLA format in Social Sciences?

Typically, rules of choosing a style are pretty strict when it comes to a highly specialized paper of a senior grade student. So, MLA format cannot be used in an academic paper in Psychology, Economics, Social Sciences or anything else from a related area. Instead, you should use APA format for such disciplines. In any case, the best way is to consult with your instructor beforehand.

Emma Flores knows all about formatting standards. She shares with StudyCrumb readers tips on creating academic papers that will meet high-quality standards.

It is useful that you understand the basics of major styles - in particular, difference between APA and MLA. They are, indeed, very popular. If you are required to follow a specific style when writing your paper, you should learn about them, This guide will help you understand some peculiarities of APA and MLA, including the following aspects:

Stay with us and you will learn most of the information you should know about difference between APA and MLA. This short guide would help you grasp the main concept of each style and help you choose a proper one for your paper in case you have to choose for yourself.

Don't have time to sort things out? Delegate your writing task to StudyCrumb and get expert assistance at affordable rates. Leave us a notice " write my paper for me cheap " and we will give you a helping hand. 

Before deciding whether you should use MLA or APA, it is useful to understand what each of these abbreviations means. APA format paper stands for ‘American Psychological Association’. It was developed by this organization and is therefore recommended for:

MLA has received its name from the Modern Language Association. This organization recommends using this style in such fields of study:

Students are often instructed to follow a certain style when writing their papers. But if you need to choose whether to use MLA or APA on your own, consider the aforementioned lists of academic areas and it will be quite clear which path to take.

One of a key elements of both styles is a proper formatting of citations. You need to specify all your sources in APA and MLA. Refer to material correctly when citing it in your own text. However, each of these styles requires different in-text references. The order of sources’ details in a bibliography section is also different in each case. Below you will find detailed guidelines on how to cite your sources in APA and MLA.

Let’s start with MLA vs APA in-text citations. Both styles require parenthetical blocks for citing sources. Difference lies in details put within parenthesis. In APA, you have to include the last name of source’s author and a year this source was published. A page number is also required when a specific paragraph is directly quoted or paraphrased. Name, year and page number are separated by comma. In MLA, you have to include author’s last name and a page number which is always required. Use more than one MLA in text citation example to do it right. If you are citing a work by two authors, you need to put an ampersand between their names when following the APA style. In MLA, you should separate them with “and.” In case your source was written by multiple authors (3+), you need to specify the first author’s name and add “et al.” after it in both styles. Here are a couple of samples:

Another important aspect to consider when choosing APA or MLA: Works Cited section. In both styles, you are expected to provide complete information about all your sources at the end of your papers on a separate page. It is called Works Cited page in MLA and References in APA. The main differences are the order of a source’s details and their format. In APA, you have to provide an initial instead of an author’s first name and put a publication date right after that. You have to provide a full first name and put publication date MLA format at the end of your references. The following part – a book, journal or article title – is having each major word capitalized in MLA, but only the 1st word capitalized in APA.

General requirements of MLA and APA formatting have a number of similarities:

However there are significant differences between these styles. Especially, when it comes to the following elements: 

Let us explore these differences in detail. Pay close attention to each of these elements listed above.

What are requirements regarding your title page in APA or MLA? MLA cover page does not require creating a separate title page. You should however add a header on the first page of your paper. Rules are simple:

In APA, a separate cover page is required. This is the first page of your paper. It should contain these parts:

An entire page should be centered and double-spaced. Use our Title Page Creator to generate a cover page in APA or MLA automatically. 

Let us now find out what are the differences between MLA and APA when it comes to the running head. In MLA, you need to include your last name and the page number into the running head. They both must be aligned to the right. It should appear at the top of every page. Into the running head APA you need to include a right-aligned page number, likewise. However it should be preceded by a shortened version of your paper’s title. It must be up to 50 characters long, all in capitals and left-aligned. This header should appear at the top of every page, including the title page.

If you need to convert lowercase to uppercase for your running head, feel free to use our tool. 

Finally, let us explore the rules of APA and MLA heading  and subheading. Both styles foresee 5 levels of section headings. Here is how they are to be distinguished:

If you need some MLA and APA format examples to make it easier for you, we’ve created a few templates for your convenience. Just click on the links below and you will find more valuable information about them. Pay close attention to the implementation of the above rules in these examples.

In this article we have learned together how is APA different from MLA. Also, we figured out different key points which require your attention when analysing peculiarities of both styles. These key points are:

Each key point was explained, briefly but concisely. Samples were given to clarify all complicated cases. In addition to this detailed review we have created several templates. They could help to grasp the key differences. We hope this information will be helpful for you in your studies. Feel free to use it when creating your next paper! 

• Academic areas these styles are typically used for
• General paper format
• Rules of making proper citations
• Rules of making proper bibliography.
• Anthropology
• Social Sciences
• Linguistics
• Other Humanities disciplines.
• Single author:
• Two authors:
• Multiple authors:
• Text should be double-spaced.
• Font size should be 12 pt, Sans Serif (Times New Roman is preferred).
• 1 inch margin throughout a whole paper.
• 0.5 inch indent for every paragraph.
• Running head
• Headings and subheadings.
• your full name;
• your professor’s name;
• course title and number;
• submission date.
• Header must be left-aligned and double-spaced.
• The paper’s main heading must be centered on a new line under a header. Your instructor may require you to include one, though.
• Title of your paper
• Your full name
• Your institution and course
• Name of your professor
• Submission date.
• APA: centered, bold, title case
• MLA: left-aligned, bold, no indent
• APA: left-aligned, bold, title case, no indent
• MLA: left-aligned, italicized, no indent
• APA: left-aligned, bold, italicized, title case, no indent
• MLA: centered, bold
• APA: left-aligned, bold, title case, indented and ending with period (.) The next paragraph starts from the same line
• MLA: centered, italicized
• APA: left-aligned, bold, title case, italicized, indented and ending with period. The next paragraph starts from the same line
• MLA: left-aligned, underlined.
• Applicable disciplines
• In-text citations and bibliography
• General format
• Title page, header, headings and subheadings.

APA vs MLA: Applicable Disciplines

Apa vs mla: citation, mla vs apa: in-text citation, works cited in mla vs apa reference list, apa vs mla: format, running head in mla and apa, headings and subheadings, mla vs apa: examples, bottom line.

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APA vs MLA: Citation and Formatting Differences

You only get one chance to make a good first impression on college admission boards, instructors, and capstone defense commissions. All it takes to ruin it is the wrong font or messed up title page. That’s why formatting is so important and why understanding the difference between MLA and APA is critical for your long-term academic success.

Moreover, as these formatting guidelines cover citations, improperly formatted in-text citations and reference lists may cause you no end of trouble when your paper goes through a plagiarism checker. So, in some ways, understanding the distinctions between APA style vs MLA style can protect you from plagiarism accusations. 

So, what is the difference between MLA and APA?

Before we can compare the two, we need to fully grasp what each style is about. We’ll start by answering the question, “What is APA and MLA?” Then, we’ll go over their applications, as well as all the similarities and differences in page layouts, header and list formatting, citations, and reference list guidelines.

Important: This post discusses the latest editions of MLA and APA paper format: the 7th edition of APA and the 9th edition of MLA. If your professor requires you to use an older edition of either style, you’d better check our blog for relevant instructions. 

MLA and APA Overview

What does MLA style mean? It stands for the Modern Language Association and provides recommendations for academic writing in humanities, language, literature, and history studies. 

What does APA format stand for? It’s short for the American Psychological Association, making this style the preferred option for social studies, medical and nursing schools, as well as some hard sciences.

What is MLA and APA format? It’s a set of instructions published by either organization and adopted by schools and scientific journals to ensure readability and unification across papers within these fields. There are no hard, nationwide rules for using one style over the other, so you should always refer to your school’s writing guidelines or ask your professor or TA about their preferences.

Although many students think about them in terms of MLA style vs APA style, they share plenty of similarities. For example, both require in-text citations and a list of properly formatted references at the end of the paper. Still, there are subtle nuances you should be aware of to use the right college research paper format and score the top grade. Let’s go over all the major formatting requirements. 

Basic Formatting Guidelines

Once you learn which formatting style you need to use, I suggest going over the MLA and APA rules via respective handbooks. But if you want a quick guide on a proper research paper setup, check out the table below that highlights the main MLA and APA differences.

As you can see, there are plenty of MLA and APA similarities, too. After all, the formatting requirements are primarily focused on making your works easy to read and digest. The biggest difference in general MLA and APA formatting lies in the use of title page and page headers.

For an MLA-style paper, you don’t need a title page unless the instructor requires one. Instead, in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your professor’s name, the class name, and the date. Below, place the title of the paper in the center of the page and start the first paragraph with a half-inch indent. 

For an APA-style paper, create a separate title page, listing the title of the paper, your name, affiliation, class name, professor’s name, and assignment due date. Center all of them and place them in the middle of the page. Another distinction of MLA vs. APA is the use of running head in the latter, though it’s mostly used for academic publications, and students can leave it out. 

In-Text Citation Requirements

Citations are probably the biggest difference between MLA and APA. After all, where the former requires you to specify the name of the author and the page you’re citing (which is critical for literature and linguistics), the latter is more interested in the author’s name and publication year (which is more important for soft sciences than the page number). 

On the one hand, you can notice that MLA and APA in-text citations handle certain specific cases the same way. For example, if the reference has three or more authors, you don’t have to list them all, weighing down your paper. On the other hand, MLA and APA citation styles handle paraphrasing and direct quotes differently. Whereas there are no changes to the MLA format, a quote in APA style requires an addition of the page number from where the quotation comes. 

You should also pay attention to the punctuation in MLA and APA format citations. MLA in-text citations come without commas, while APA-style citations do need commas between the names and publication years. These subtle differences may seem inconsequential but can get you in trouble with automated plagiarism checkers that can distinguish between 

MLA and APA. 

Additional Formatting Considerations

Although we’ve covered major MLA and APA formatting rules for citations, there’s still a lot of ground to cover. Instead of going over each format in turn, let’s consider their requirements side by side and see what’s the core difference between APA and MLA when it comes to formatting the contents of your paper. 

It’s obvious from the table above that the MLA writing style is somewhat more forgiving and less rigid when it comes to formatting. For instance, MLA and APA header guidelines are drastically different, as MLA lets you settle on the style you’re most comfortable with. By the way, you can use the same heading formatting for MLA as you would for APA to make your life easier.

Still, looking at figure and table MLA and APA format requirements, it should be easy for you to identify the formatting style used at a glance. APA-style tables will never use vertical borders, while MLA-style images will always have their numbers and captions below rather than above. 

At the same time, some requirements are pretty similar, such as MLA and APA numbering rules, as well as endnotes and footnotes. Even block quotes look the same across both styles, though there are different requirements when it comes to what constitutes a long enough quote to deserve such treatment.

Of course, I couldn’t fit the contents of the complete MLA vs. APA guidelines in a short blog post. So, I urge you to refer to the relevant handbooks if you have additional questions about proper formatting. 

Why are MLA and APA important?

Using appropriate formatting and citation style will protect you from unintended plagiarism accusations and also make a good first impression on potential readers, such as college admission committees, professors, or scientific journal editors.

Should I use MLA or APA for my paper?

American colleges and universities widely use both MLA and APA. Although sometimes professors allow students to choose between the two styles (MLA for linguistics studies and APA for humanities), most instructors include formatting requirements within assignment instructions. If there’s no mention of the appropriate formatting style, ask your TA or professor about it.

Is MLA or APA best for STEM majors?

There is no universal formatting style used for math, hard sciences, or computer science. You can either refer to school or department-wide requirements or ask your professor what citation style they prefer. Some will welcome both MLA and APA as long as the citations throughout the paper are consistent and complete.

Are APA and Harvard styles the same?

In the battle of APA vs MLA, Harvard falls on the APA side, as they use the same author-date in-text citation format, though full citation forms are different. At the same time, the Harvard guidelines haven’t been updated in over a decade, and most professors and schools prefer the latest edition of APA over Harvard. Still, if your professor insists on the Harvard formatting style, you should fulfill their requirements.

Wrapping Up

Proper formatting is tedious and time-consuming, but your efforts will be rewarded by an excellent first impression and foolproof safety from unintended plagiarism accusations. By now, you know there are no winners or losers in the battle of APA vs MLA, as both styles have specific applications. Although they share many similarities when it comes to formatting for readability, the key difference between MLA and APA lies in citations, both in-text and full entries in the list of references.

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Citing Your Sources Guide

Introduction to citations.

• APA In-text Citations - The Basics
• APA Reference List - The Basics
• APA Reference List - Examples
• APA Handouts
• Citing AI in APA Style
• House and Senate Reports and Documents
• Congressional Record
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• Executive Documents - Presidential papers, Proclamations, and Executive Orders
• Rules/Regulations - Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) and the Federal Register
• Foreign Relations of the United States
• State Legislative Documents
• State Statutes (Laws)
• Court Cases (decisions/opinions)
• Government Agencies
• MLA In-Text Citations - The Basics
• MLA Works Cited List - The Basics
• MLA Works Cited - Examples
• Chicago/Turabian - The Basics
• Chicago/Turabian in-text citations
• Chicago/Turabian Bibliography - Examples
• APA Art Citations
• MLA Art Citations
• Chicago Art Citations
• ArtSTOR Citations
• AMA reference list
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Student engagement librarian.

This guide covers the three main citation styles you may be asked to use while attending Seattle University. Please review the examples and information, and if you need more support, see the Style Manuals provided by the library, either in print or ebook form. 

if you are looking for instructions on citing artworks, photographs, or visual media, check the Citing Artworks or Images  Section, sorted by citation style. 

• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Citation guides A somewhat out of date, but detailed guide to citations in all three major styles.

Manual of Style:  This refers to a detailed guide to a particular citation style, such as the Chicago Manual of Style. These get updated regularly, so be sure to check with your professor which edition they want you to use for your assignments.

DOI:  Digital object identifier, which is a specific code that corresponds to a digital object like an article or ebook.

ORCID ID:  Similar to a DOI, the ORCID ID is a specific code that corresponds to a specific author/researcher. 

et al:  Means "and others" in latin. This is sometimes used in citations when there are more than a certain number of authors.

Citation:  A citation is a collection of information that tells your reader that certain material in your work came from another source. It also gives your reader all the information necessary to find the location of any source included in your reference list/bibliography/works cited.

Useful Differences between Citation Styles

Differences between APA, MLA, and Chicago:

APA:  The list of citations at the end is called a Reference List.

MLA : The list of citations at the end is called a Works Cited.

Chicago/Turabian:  The list of citations at the end is called a Bibliography.

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• Last Updated: Jan 5, 2024 3:46 PM
• URL: https://library.seattleu.edu/guides/citation