APA vs MLA: Which Citation Style Should You Use?

Contents

Overview: APA and MLA at a Glance

APA (American Psychological Association) and MLA (Modern Language Association) are the two most commonly required citation styles in US university education, and they are used in different disciplinary contexts for different reasons. APA is the citation style of the social and behavioural sciences — designed for empirical, research-driven writing where the date of publication matters because findings become outdated as research progresses. MLA is the citation style of the humanities — designed for literary, historical, and cultural analysis where the specific location of a quotation or interpretation in a text matters most. These different origins explain many of the specific format differences between the two styles.

Understanding the disciplinary logic behind each style makes the specific format rules easier to remember and apply correctly — because the rules are not arbitrary conventions but functional choices that serve the purpose of academic communication in each discipline.

When to Use APA

APA style (currently in its 7th edition, published 2020) is required for academic writing in: psychology, all subfields; social work; education; nursing (many programmes, though Harvard is more common in UK nursing); criminology and criminal justice; economics; political science; business and management (many programmes); sociology; communication studies; public health; and other social and behavioural sciences. APA is also required for manuscripts submitted to thousands of academic journals in these disciplines. If your module is in any of these disciplines and does not specify otherwise, APA 7th edition is likely the appropriate default.

APA style emphasises the date of publication because in empirical sciences, when a finding was established matters — recent findings may have superseded earlier ones, and readers need to assess whether they are encountering current or outdated evidence. This is why the year appears immediately after the author’s name in APA in-text citations: (Author, Year).

When to Use MLA

MLA style (currently in its 9th edition, published 2021) is required for academic writing in: English literature; comparative literature; foreign language studies; film studies; cultural studies; media studies; theatre and performance studies; and some history programmes (though Chicago is more common in history). MLA is the style of choice for most US composition courses that do not specify a discipline-specific style. If you are writing literary analysis, textual criticism, or cultural analysis, MLA is very likely the appropriate style.

MLA style emphasises the location of material in texts because in humanities analysis, where exactly in a text something appears matters — page numbers allow readers to verify interpretations and evaluate the weight of evidence claimed. This is why MLA in-text citations emphasise page numbers: (Author page) rather than author and year.

In-Text Citation Differences

APA in-text citations use the author-date format: (Author, Year) for paraphrased material; (Author, Year, p. XX) for direct quotations. Multiple citations in a single parenthesis are separated by semicolons and ordered alphabetically: (Brown, 2019; Jones, 2021; Smith, 2020). Narrative citations integrate the author’s name into the sentence: “According to Brown (2019)…” For sources with no individual author, use the institutional name: (American Psychological Association, 2020).

MLA in-text citations use the author-page format: (Author page) for both paraphrased material and quotations — no comma between author and page. No “p.” before the page number in MLA. Narrative citations: “As Brown argues (45)…” For sources with no author, use a shortened version of the title: (“Title” page). For online sources with no page numbers, use paragraph numbers if available (Author par. 3) or omit the page element entirely: (Author).

Reference List vs Works Cited Differences

APA calls its bibliography section the “References” and MLA calls it “Works Cited” — and the formats differ significantly in their conventions for how sources are listed.

APA References: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of work. Publisher. — The author’s initials are used rather than full first names; the year appears in parentheses after the author; article titles and chapter titles are not italicised; journal names are italicised; DOIs are included for all journal articles where available.

MLA Works Cited: Author, First. Title of Work. Publisher, Year. — The author’s full first name is spelled out; the title appears before the publication details; all major words in titles are capitalised; the year appears at the end of the entry (for books) or after the journal name (for articles); no DOI is required, but a URL is often included for online sources with the label “Accessed [date]”.

Check our guide on Side-by-Side Examples for Common Source Types

Common Source Types

Journal article:

APA 7th: Garber, A. K., & Lustig, R. H. (2011). Is fast food addictive? Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 4(3), 146–162. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874473711104030146

MLA 9th: Garber, Allison K., and Robert H. Lustig. “Is Fast Food Addictive?” Current Drug Abuse Reviews, vol. 4, no. 3, 2011, pp. 146–162, doi:10.2174/1874473711104030146.

Book:

APA 7th: Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE.

MLA 9th: Saldaña, Johnny. The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. 4th ed., SAGE, 2021.

Website:

APA 7th: World Health Organization. (2023, March 13). Depression. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

MLA 9th: World Health Organization. “Depression.” WHO, 13 Mar. 2023, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression.

Other Common Citation Styles

APA and MLA are the most commonly required in the US, but other citation styles are required in specific disciplines and contexts. Chicago (17th edition) has two sub-styles: Notes-Bibliography (used in history, arts, and some humanities) and Author-Date (used in social sciences). Harvard is common in UK and Australian universities across many disciplines, with institutional variants that differ between universities. Vancouver is used in biomedical sciences and clinical research. OSCOLA is the standard for UK legal writing. IEEE is used in engineering and computing. Always confirm which style your specific module requires — do not assume that APA or MLA applies just because they are well-known.

How to Determine Which Style You Need

The simplest way to determine which citation style your assignment requires is to read your assignment brief. The required citation style is typically specified explicitly in the assignment brief, the module handbook, or the marking rubric. If it is not specified, ask your module tutor — do not guess or default to a familiar style. Using the wrong citation style when a specific style is required costs marks for a preventable error. If your tutor confirms that either APA or MLA is acceptable and you have a choice, use the one that is standard for your disciplinary context: APA for social sciences, MLA for humanities.

Tools That Help with Citation Formatting

Several tools reduce the time required for accurate citation formatting. Reference management software (Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote) automatically formats citations in any required style and can switch formats across an entire bibliography with a single click — invaluable for papers that need to be reformatted for different submission contexts. Citation generators (Cite This For Me, EasyBib) provide quick formatting for individual sources but should always be checked against the published style guide — automated tools make errors, particularly for specialist source types. The most reliable approach combines reference management software for efficiency with personal verification of complex source types against the current edition of the relevant style guide. For model research papers and essays with precisely formatted citations in any required style, order from CollePals.