MLA vs APA: Citation & Format Differences

APA vs MLA: Applicable Disciplines

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:

• Psychology
• Anthropology
• Social Sciences
• Economics.

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

• Arts
• Linguistics
• Culture
• Other Humanities disciplines.

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.

APA vs MLA: Citation

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.

MLA vs APA: In-Text Citation

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:

• Single author:

• Two authors:

• Multiple authors:

Works Cited in MLA vs APA Reference List

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.

APA vs MLA: Format

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

• 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.

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

• Title page
• Title
• Running head
• Headings and subheadings.

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

Title Page

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:

1. Header must consist of 4 lines:
   1. your full name;
   2. your professor’s name;
   3. course title and number;
   4. submission date.
2. Header must be left-aligned and double-spaced.
3. The paper’s main heading must be centered on a new line under a header. Your instructor may require you to include one, though.

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

• Title of your paper
• Your full name
• Your institution and course
• Name of your professor
• Submission date.

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

Running Head in MLA and APA

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. 

Headings and Subheadings

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:

1. 1th level
   1. APA: centered, bold, title case
   2. MLA: left-aligned, bold, no indent
2. 2th level
   1. APA: left-aligned, bold, title case, no indent
   2. MLA: left-aligned, italicized, no indent
3. 3th level
   1. APA: left-aligned, bold, italicized, title case, no indent
   2. MLA: centered, bold
4. 4th level
   1. APA: left-aligned, bold, title case, indented and ending with period (.) The next paragraph starts from the same line
   2. MLA: centered, italicized
5. 5th level
   1. APA: left-aligned, bold, title case, italicized, indented and ending with period. The next paragraph starts from the same line
   2. MLA: left-aligned, underlined.

MLA vs APA: Examples

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.

MLA

APA

Bottom Line

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:

1. Applicable disciplines
2. In-text citations and bibliography
3. General format
4. Title page, header, headings and subheadings.

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!