APA vs MLA: The key differences

APA and MLA are two of the most commonly used citation styles.

The APA manual (published by the American Psychological Association) is mostly used in
social science and education fields.(sociology)

The MLA handbook (published by the Modern Language Association) is mostly used in
humanities fields. (art,theatre)
In both styles, a source citation consists of:

 A brief parenthetical citation in the text

 A full reference at the end of the paper

However, citations look slightly different in each style, with different rules for things like title
capitalization, author names, and placement of the date.

In-text citations in APA and MLA

Both MLA and APA use parenthetical citations to cite sources in the text. However, they
include slightly different information.

An APA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and the publication year. If
you’re quoting or paraphrasing a specific passage, you also add a page number.

An MLA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and a page number.

The two styles also have different rules about when to shorten citations with “et al.”
Check the table to compare in-text citations for APA and MLA.

APA MLA

1 author (Taylor, 2018, p. 23) (Taylor 23)

2 authors (Taylor & Kotler, 2018, p. 23) (Taylor and Kotler 23)

3–5 authors First citation: (Taylor, Kotler, Johnson, & Parker, 2018, p. 23) (Taylor et al. 23)

Subsequent citations: (Taylor et al., 2018, p. 23)

6+ authors (Taylor et al., 2018, p. 23) (Taylor et al. 23)

APA reference list vs MLA works cited list

In both APA and MLA style, you list full details of all cited sources on a separate page at
the end of your paper. In APA this is usually called the reference list; in MLA it is called
the works cited.
MLA vs APA formatting
The general formatting guidelines for APA and MLA are similar. Both styles
recommend:

 12 pt Times New Roman font

 Double spacing
 1-inch margins

The main differences between APA format and MLA format involve the title page,

running head, and block quoting guidelines.

Title page and header

In APA, a separate cover page is required. It lists the title of your paper, your full name,
and the name of your institution, all centred and double-spaced.

 
In MLA, no title page is required (though your instructor may require you to include one).
Instead of a title page, you add a four-line heading on the first page.

The heading is left-aligned and double-spaced, and lists your full name, your instructor’s
name, the course title or number, and the submission date. The paper’s title is centred
on a new line under the heading.

Running head
Both MLA and APA require a running head to be included on every page.

In MLA, the running head is your last name and the page number, both right-aligned.

An APA running head is the title of your paper (up to the first 50 characters), all in
capitals and left-aligned, and the page number right-aligned. On the title page, the
words “Running head:” appear before the title.

Block quote formatting

 Block quotes are long quotations that are set on a new line and indented as a block,
with no quotation marks.

In APA, any quote of 40 words or longer should be formatted as a block quote. In

MLA, block quote formatting is used for quotes of more than four lines of prose or more
than three lines of verse.

In both styles, the in-text citation is added after the period at the end of a block quote.

 APA block quote example

The reader quickly becomes familiar with Nick Carraway’s relationship with Jay Gatsby,

as the very first mention of the character illustrates both his admiration and disdain:

Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—

Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality

is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about

him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of

those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. (Fitzgerald,

1925, p. 4)

 MLA block quote example

The reader quickly becomes familiar with Nick Carraway’s relationship with Jay Gatsby,

as the very first mention of the character illustrates both his admiration and disdain:

Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—

Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality

is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about

him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of

those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. (Fitzgerald

4)