MLA vs APA Format: Key Differences in Style Guides
The Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) are two commonly used writing style guides. While MLA and APA formats governs extensive rules on writing academic papers, the basic differences relate to formatting style, citations, references, and in-text parenthetical references. This article aims to describe the key differences between MLA and APA formats to help students select the appropriate one for their research paper.
General Appearance
MLA papers emphasize brevity and clarity in body text. The in-text parenthetical references and the Works Cited page are formatted to achieve ease of comprehension for the reader. On the other hand, APA style guides focus on readability and standard rules. The format specifies page headers, line spacing, justification, and font details precisely to attain uniformity across papers.
Page Numbers
MLA does not require a page number on the first page, but subsequent pages must have page numbers in the upper right corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
APA requires a running head to be placed in the top left corner of every page, on the title page, it should indicate “Running head:” before the title. On subsequent pages, only the running head appears. The page number is right-aligned at the top of each page.
Title Page
The MLA format requires a title page only for senior-level undergraduate or graduate student papers. When included, it contains the title of the paper, your name, the course name, the instructor’s name, and the date. It has a clear and simple appearance.
In contrast, an APA style paper requires a title page for every paper. It includes the title, author’s name, school affiliation, and page header with the running title.
Spacing
MLA format specifies that the text be double-spaced throughout the entire paper, including the Works Cited page.
APA specifies that the text be double-spaced, but the abstract is single-spaced. All references are also single-spaced with a double space between references.
Font and Size
MLA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font, both for the text and the Works Cited page.
APA specifies the entire paper to be in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, including references, footnotes, and table captions.
Margins
MLA papers have standard 1-inch margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).
APA style requires 1-inch margins on all sides as well.
Heading Levels
MLA does not require section headings or specify formatting styles for them. Headings are used rarely in MLA-style papers, for longer works.
APA style prescribes five levels of section headings, each formatted in a distinctive way using sentence-style capitalization and bold or italics.
Citations and Parenthetical References
MLA style uses brief in-text parenthetical references to cite sources throughout the text. Author-page format is used (Smith 122).
APA style citations consist of the author’s last name and year of publication, for example (John, 2020). Direct quotes also require a page or paragraph number, for example (John, 2020, para. 5).
Reference List Format
MLA style references are listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name on a separate page called Works Cited. Sources are double-spaced, with the second and subsequent lines of each entry indented half an inch from the left margin.
APA style references are listed in alphabetical order on a separate page called References. All lines are flush-left with no indentions. Sources may be single or double-spaced.
Author-Date Citations
MLA style uses parenthetical citations containing only author names and page numbers (Johnson, 123).
APA style uses parenthetical citations containing both author last name(s) and year of publication (Johnson, 2020). A page or paragraph number follows a direct quote (Johnson, 2020, para. 4).
Reference List Elements
MLA references include author name, title, publisher, date, and medium in a consistent format.
APA references include author name(s), date, title, periodical title or volume, issue number or type, and location information like page numbers for sources. Page ranges are included for mult-paged sources.
Special Elements
MLA handles few special references like government documents and archival papers. APA provides detailed guidelines for citing sources like dissertations, interviews, tweets, PDF documents, and more online resources.
Overall, MLA focuses on simplicity in formatting and cite rules, while APA aims to standardize paper components and reference styles. Knowing these main differences will help students determine whether MLA or APA style is appropriate for their research topic, level of study, and targeted publication. Referring to official style manuals ensures consistency in formatting different types of sources in their papers.