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.
The MLA Handbook (published by the Modern Language Association) is mostly used in humanities fields.
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.
There are also some differences in layout and formatting. Download the Word templates for a correctly formatted paper in either style.
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.
When there are two authors, APA Style separates their names with an ampersand (&), while MLA uses “and.” For three or more authors, list the first author followed by “et al.” in both styles.
| APA | MLA | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | (Taylor, 2018, p. 23) | (Taylor 23) |
| 2 authors | (Taylor & Kotler, 2018, p. 23) | (Taylor and Kotler 23) |
| 3+ 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.
The formatting of source entries is different in each style. Using the interactive tool, you can switch between APA and MLA style citations for common source types.
You can automatically create your in-text citations and references in either style using the free Scribbr Citation Generators.
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, your institution and department, the course the paper is for, your instructor’s name, and the due date, all centered 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 header on the first page.
The header 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 centered on a new line under the header.
Running head
In MLA, your last name and the page number appear as a running head at the top of every page, both right-aligned.
An APA header also includes a right-aligned page number. In manuscripts that will be submitted for publication, you should also include an APA running head with a shortened version of your paper’s title (up to 50 characters long), all in capitals and left-aligned.
This running head is not required in student papers (unless instructed otherwise).
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.
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:
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:
4 comments
Maria Joy Flick
April 10, 2021 at 4:49 AMI got a 15 point deduction from my instructor for APA having a reference I did not cite. I thought with APA you could reference even if you do not put in a direct quote or citation. Can you clarify? Is there any articles to clarify for my school appeal.
Jack Caulfield (Scribbr Team)
April 16, 2021 at 3:49 PMHi Maria,
APA style generally recommends including only sources closely linked to your paper, not additional sources used for background. In the 7th edition of the APA manual (p. 282), they instruct you to "include only the works that you used in the research for and preparation of your paper. [...] A reference list cites works that specifically support the ideas, claims, and concepts in a paper." It doesn't specifically say never to include sources you don't cite, but the general idea is to keep it focused. Not sure if that helps with your situation, but that's the general guideline presented by APA.
Mileah
August 22, 2020 at 11:21 AMIf my college professor asked for an annotated bib in APA format, does that mean a full paper including an abstract, graph, and pie chart? Or do I just do a regular annotated bib but with the APA style. For example, just the title page and the correct margins and headers.
Shona McCombes (Scribbr Team)
September 16, 2020 at 3:32 PMHi Mileah,
It's best to check with your professor directly, but I would guess that you simply need to submit an annotated bibliography with the title page, headers and references formatted in APA style.