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What is the difference between APA and MLA? One of the biggest challenges that high school and college students face is trying to understand the difference between MLA and APA. They are among the most used styles and formats you will find in all academic and professional writing. As students gravitate toward a specific discipline they will learn more about MLA or APA according to the standards set about by their desired academic pursuits.
There are many students, however, that struggle in their early years trying to figure out the difference between APA and MLA. This is quite normal and expected with students that intellectually devote themselves to their given academic strengths and interests.
How Is APA Different from MLA?
The difference between MLA and APA is how each style cites sources in-text and in bibliographies.
The MLA is published by the Modern Language Association is largely used in the humanities (e.g., literature, history, philosophy, etc.).
The APA is published by the American Psychology Association and is most commonly used by the social sciences and educational fields.
There is a third citation style called Chicago that is used most often used in the humanities, but focuses solely on bibliographical notes (e.g., footnotes and endnotes).
We will go more in-depth explaining the difference between MLA and APA citations later in this article that will help you do your homework properly. But for now, we want to briefly show when you would want to use Chicago style to add supplemental content to your written work without taking away from the main argument.
When you use the APA or MLA styles to cite a source (e.g., paraphrase, quote, or summary) you usually provide the citation information within your written text. In Chicago style, you replace citation info within the text with a superscript number that corresponds to either a footnote or endnote. For example:
APA vs MLA Citation
- APA Style In-Text Citation
“Without the research done by the early French physicists, we would be without many of the medical breakthroughs we have made in the last 20 years alone” (De La Cruz, 2005, p. 15).
This example is a direct quote that requires the author’s last name, year of publication, and the page number. For a paraphrase or summary, you can omit the page number. The latter is usually used in cases when a direct quote is impractical or when the information referenced covers several sentences, paragraphs, or pages.
- MLA Style In-Text Citation
“If it wasn’t for American Literary Movement of the early 20th century, our understanding of 19th-century works would be limited in scope (Smith 123).
The above example shows the one fundamental difference between an MLA vs APA in-text citation. The MLA citation does not require you to include a publication date. This information is included in both APA vs MLA format styles in the bibliography section, where the complete information of a source used must be listed.
- Chicago Style In-Text Citation
“Considering the fallout from the political divide, Lord Samuel believed his role in the Parliament was quickly coming to an end.”1
And this is followed with either a footnote (same page) or an endnote (after the main text) explaining the sentence or phrase further. For example:
1 Lord Samuel received support from only half of the cabinet, which led him to start a campaign to organize his surrogates to push through his agenda after his departure.
While this paper focuses on the difference between MLA and APA, it’s good that you have some understanding of the other major style (Chicago), since you are likely to run into several sources that adhere to its rules in your research, regardless of the discipline you are in.
Is MLA or APA Easier to Use?
When you compare MLA to APA, the differences are subtle. As we discussed above one of the biggest distinctions between the two is in how each one is used to cite references, as well as the most common disciplines each one is applied to. Other things to know about each include the following:
MLA Style (8th edition)
- the page layout and format of your paper
- techniques related to style (e.g., abbreviations, footnotes, and quotations)
- in-text citations (e.g., quotes, paraphrases, and summaries)
- how to arrange the reference page at the end of the paper (i.e., bibliography)
APA Style (7th edition)
- the structure and format of your paper
- in-text citations (e.g., quotes, paraphrases, and summaries)
- how to arrange the reference page at the end of the paper (i.e., bibliography)
To know when to use APA or MLA you should always first consult with your professor and check your assignment prompt. If you are in high school, most teachers start you off by instructing you to use MLA since it is considered to be slightly easier. But as you can see the similarities between the two are tremendous, so you can expect to be well-versed in the differences between APA and MLA by the time you get to college.
Difference Between APA and MLA Citations
One of the other key differences between MLA and APA are in-text citations that incorporate the author’s name within the text. For example:
- MLA In-Text Citation with Author
According to Dr. Gonzalez, “educational freedom is a critical part of our nation’s history and should be protected throughout the country” (25).
- APA In-Text Citation with Author
According to Dr. Gonzalez (2015), “educational freedom is a critical part of our nation’s history and should be protected throughout the country” (p. 25).
Again, the MLA and APA differences are subtle but they are there. In the first example, there is no need to list the year in parentheses, adhering to the rules of MLA. In the second example, you include the year immediately after the author’s name within the text and list only the page number in parentheses adhering to the rules of APA.
APA vs MLA Bibliography
Here we will look at two examples of the MLA vs APA citation as it should be used in the bibliography section at the end of an academic paper. MLA should be started on a separate page, while APA MLA vs APA examples that show you how these pages should be arranged:
- MLA Basic Book Citation
De Haro, Samuel. The Life and Times of Abigail Trigby. Philadelphia, PA. Lost Library Press. 2016.
Gerald, Mark. Accepting Women’s Voting Rights. New York, NY. City of Lost Souls Press. 2013. - APA Basic Book Citation
De Haro, S. (2016). The Life and Times of Abigail Trigby. Philadelphia, PA. Lost Library Press.
Gerald, M. (2013) Accepting Women’s Voting Rights. New York, NY. City of Lost Souls Press.
In both examples above you see that entries are arranged in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. APA asks that you only use the first name initial and moves the publication year to the spot immediately after the name. Each format in each entry requires you to add a double space between each entry. And in cases when there are two or more authors, follow the same alphabetical order.
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