APA vs MLA Format: Key Differences & When to Use Each

Quick Comparison Table: APA vs MLA

When to Use APA vs MLA

Use APA Format When:

Your field is:

• Psychology
• Education
• Nursing
• Sociology
• Business
• Any social science

Your assignment emphasizes:

• Recent research and publication dates
• Empirical studies and data
• Scientific methodology
• Current trends and findings

Your professor says:

• "Use APA format"
• "Follow the Publication Manual."
• "Use author-date citations."

Need to learn more about APA formatting? Follow our APA Format  guide

Use MLA Format When:

Your field is:

• Literature
• Languages
• Film studies
• Cultural studies
• Creative writing
• Any humanities subject

Your assignment emphasizes:

• Textual analysis
• Close reading
• Specific passages and quotes
• Literary interpretation

Your professor says:

• "Use MLA format"
• "Follow the MLA Handbook."
• "Use parenthetical citations."

For a deeper understanding of MLA formatting, see our MLA Format guide.

In-Text Citation Differences

Basic Citation Format

APA:

• Emphasizes WHEN research was published
• Always includes year
• Uses a comma between author and year
• Format: (Author, Year) or (Author, Year, p. Page)

Examples:
Recent research supports this claim (Johnson, 2024).
Johnson (2024) supports this claim.
The study found "significant results" (Johnson, 2024, p. 67).

MLA:

• Emphasizes WHERE in the source you found information
• Never includes year in citation
• No punctuation between author and page
• Format: (Author Page) with NO comma

Examples:
Recent research supports this claim (Johnson 67).
Johnson supports this claim (67).
The study found "significant results" (Johnson 67).

Multiple Authors

APA (two authors):
(Smith & Jones, 2024)
Smith and Jones (2024) found...

MLA (two authors):
(Smith and Jones 67)
Smith and Jones found... (67).

APA (three or more):
(Martinez et al., 2024)
Use "et al." from the first citation

MLA (three or more):
(Martinez et al. 67)
Use "et al." from the first citation

Direct Quotes

APA:

• Always use "p." or "pp." before page numbers
• Short quotes: "Quote text" (Author, Year, p. #).
• Long quotes (40+ words): Block indent, citation after period

Example:
The research confirms "significant cognitive improvements" (Chen, 2024, p. 156).

MLA:

• NEVER use "p." or "pp." before page numbers
• Short quotes: "Quote text" (Author #).
• Long quotes (4+ lines prose): Block indent, citation after period

Example:
The research confirms "significant cognitive improvements" (Chen 156).

Basic Citation Structure

The most visible difference between APA and MLA appears in parenthetical citations. APA requires both publication year and page number: (Smith, 2023, p. 45). MLA requires only the page number: (Smith 45). This reflects APA's focus on research currency, as opposed to MLA's focus on textual analysis.

• APA in-text citation: Recent research confirms this trend (Martinez, 2024, p. 78).
• MLA in-text citation: Literary critics have noted this pattern (Martinez 78).

When the author's name appears in your sentence, APA still requires the year immediately after the name, while MLA places only the page number at the end of the sentence.

• APA with author in text: Martinez (2024) argues that climate patterns have shifted significantly (p. 78).
• MLA with author in text: Martinez argues that climate patterns have shifted significantly (78).

Multiple Authors

APA and MLA handle multiple authors differently in both citations and reference lists. APA uses an ampersand (&) between authors, while MLA uses "and." For three or more authors, APA uses "et al." after the first author, while MLA also uses "et al." but formats it differently.

• Two authors - APA: (Smith & Johnson, 2023, p. 45)
• Two authors - MLA: (Smith and Johnson 45)
• Three or more authors (APA): (Martinez et al., 2024, p. 112)
• Three or more authors (MLA): (Martinez et al. 112)

Direct Quotations

Both styles require page numbers for direct quotes, but formatting differs. APA uses "p." for single pages and "pp." for page ranges. MLA uses no prefix, just the page numbers.

• Short quote - APA: As one researcher notes, "Climate change affects biodiversity" (Chen, 2023, p. 89).
• Short quote - MLA: As one researcher notes, "Climate change affects biodiversity" (Chen 89).
• Quote with page range - APA: The study revealed "significant correlations between variables" (Davis, 2024, pp. 45-47).
• Quote with page range - MLA: The study revealed "significant correlations between variables" (Davis 45-47).

No Author Citations

When sources lack identified authors, APA uses shortened titles in quotation marks for articles or italics for books. MLA follows the same convention but with slightly different punctuation.

• No author - APA: The policy has been criticized ("New Guidelines," 2024, p. 3).
• No author - MLA: The policy has been criticized ("New Guidelines" 3).

Reference Page vs Works Cited

Page Title and Setup

APA References Page:

• Title: "References" (centered, bold)
• Starts on a new page after the paper
• Double-spaced throughout
• Hanging indent (0.5 inch)
• Alphabetized by author's last name

MLA Works Cited Page:

• Title: "Works Cited" (centered, not bold)
• Starts on a new page after the paper
• Double-spaced throughout
• Hanging indent (0.5 inch)
• Alphabetized by author's last name

Book Citation Format

APA:
Smith, J. M. (2024). Understanding cognitive psychology. Academic Press.

Key APA features:

• Author: Last name, Initials
• Year in parentheses after author
• Title in sentence case, italicized
• Publisher only (no location)

MLA:
Smith, Jennifer M. Understanding Cognitive Psychology. Academic Press, 2024.

Key MLA features:

• Author: Last name, Full first name
• Year at END of entry
• Title in Title Case, italicized
• Publisher, then year

Journal Article Format

APA:
Chen, L., & Martinez, P. (2024). Effects of sleep on memory. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 89(4), 412-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/12345678

Key APA features:

• Initials only
• Year after author
• Article title sentence case, no quotes
• Journal name Title Case, italicized
• Volume italicized, issue in parentheses
• DOI preferred

MLA:
Chen, Lisa, and Pablo Martinez. "Effects of Sleep on Memory." Journal of Cognitive Psychology, vol. 89, no. 4, 2024, pp. 412-28.

Key MLA features:

• Full first names
• Year near END
• Article title Title Case, in quotes
• Journal name Title Case, italicized
• "vol." and "no." spelled out
• "pp." before page numbers

Website Citation Format

APA:
Garcia, M. (2024, July 15). Understanding panic disorders. Mental Health Foundation. https://www.mentalhealthfoundation.org/panic

MLA:
Garcia, Michael. "Understanding Panic Disorders." Mental Health Foundation, 15 July 2024, www.mentalhealthfoundation.org/panic.

Key difference: APA uses Month Day, Year format; MLA uses Day Month Year format.

Paper Formatting Differences

Title Page

APA:

• Requires SEPARATE title page (page 1)
• Title centered, bold, middle of page
• Your name below the title
• Institution, course, instructor, date
• No separate title page = immediate point deduction

MLA:

• NO separate title page
• Heading on page 1, top left:
• Your name
• Professor name
• Course name
• Date (Day Month Year)
• Title centered below heading
• Text starts immediately after the title

Headers

APA (student papers):

• Page number ONLY in top right corner
• Starts on title page (page 1)
• No running head for students

MLA:

• Last name + page number in top right
• Example: Martinez 1, Martinez 2
• Appears on EVERY page, including the first page

Spacing and Margins

Both styles:

• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Double-space everything
• 0.5-inch paragraph indent

No differences here: both require the same spacing.

Font Choices

APA 7th edition accepts:

• Times New Roman 12pt
• Calibri 11pt
• Arial 11pt
• Georgia 11pt
• Lucida Sans Unicode 10pt

MLA accepts:

• Any readable 12pt font
• Times New Roman most common
• Calibri, Arial acceptable

Title Capitalization Rules

APA Sentence Case (for article/book titles in References)

Capitalize:

• First word of title
• First word after colon
• Proper nouns

Example:
Understanding cognitive development in early childhood and adolescence

Do NOT capitalize: Articles, prepositions, conjunctions (unless first word)

MLA Title Case (for all titles)

Capitalize:

• First word
• Last word
• All major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Example:
Understanding Cognitive Development in Early Childhood and Adolescence

Do NOT capitalize: Articles (a, an, the), short prepositions (in, on, at, to), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), unless first or last word.

Common Mistakes When Switching Styles

Converting Between APA and MLA

From APA to MLA

1. In-text citations:

• Remove year: (Smith, 2024, p. 45) becomes (Smith 45)
• Remove commas: (Smith, 2024) becomes (Smith 45) if adding page number.
• Remove "p." or "pp.": (Smith, 2024, p. 45) becomes (Smith 45)

2. References to Works Cited:

• Change page title from "References" to "Works Cited."
• Expand author initials to full names
• Move the year from after the author to the end of the entry
• Change title to Title Case
• Add "pp." before page numbers for articles
• Remove DOI (optional in MLA)

3. Paper format:

• Remove title page, create MLA heading on page 1
• Add last name to page numbers
• Center title on page 1 (not bold)

From MLA to APA

1. In-text citations:

• Add year: (Smith 45) becomes (Smith, 2024)
• Add a comma after the author: (Smith 45) becomes (Smith, 2024, p. 45)
• Add "p." before page: (Smith, 2024, p. 45)

2. Works Cited to References:

• Change page title from "Works Cited" to "References."
• Shorten first names to initials
• Move year from end to after author (in parentheses)
• Change title to sentence case
• Remove "pp." from article pages
• Add DOI if available

3. Paper format:

• Create a separate title page
• Remove last name from page numbers
• Remove MLA heading from page 1

Side-by-Side: Same Source, Both Styles

Book Citation

Journal Article

Website

Quick Decision Guide

Choose APA if:

• Professor specifically requires it
• You're in psychology, education, nursing, or social sciences
• Your paper discusses empirical research
• Publication dates matter to your argument
• You're citing mostly recent research (last 5-10 years)

Choose MLA if:

• Professor specifically requires it
• You're in literature, languages, or humanities
• Your paper analyzes texts closely
• You need specific page references
• You're quoting literary works frequently.

Free Comparison Resources

APA vs MLA Quick Reference

APA and MLA Paper Format Templates

Citation Conversion Worksheet

Side-by-Side Citation Examples

Master Both Styles

Understanding the differences between APA and MLA comes down to recognizing their distinct priorities: APA emphasizes publication dates for scientific currency, while MLA emphasizes page locations for textual analysis. Once you understand this fundamental difference, the formatting rules make logical sense.

Most mistakes happen when switching styles mid-semester or applying one style's rules to the other. Use this comparison to identify which format your assignment requires, then follow that style's rules consistently.