MLA vs APA Format

APA and MLA are two standards to style your paper, but both MLA vs APA format are different from each other. Without mastering these styles, your paper would be a pain in your head.

Hear out what our experts offer to differentiate both formatting styles. We explain the differences in APA vs MLA format styles in terms of general formatting, title pages, in-text citations, references, calling out on authors’ names, etc.

When to Use APA vs MLA Format

First of all, you’ll be guided by your instructor about which format to follow for your paper. However, if not mentioned, consult with the instructor and ask. If the choice is in your hands, then analyze under what majors your paper falls in.

If majoring in humanities such as English, arts, literature, cultural studies, or foreign languages, follow MLA format. While in social sciences, majors such as psychology, sociology, and stem subjects follow the APA format.

What is MLA Format

An MLA or Modern language association is a standard used to format humanities-related papers in MLA style. Students and researchers follow MLA citation format to cite sources using parenthetical citations within the text. Also, the author is responsible for adding a comprehensive list of sources titled “Works Cited” at the end of the document.

MLA Format Example

What is APA format

An APA, or American Psychology Association, is an international formatting standard used in social sciences fields like psychology, sociology, etc. An APA format citation outlines how to structure a document from the title page to include in-text citations and references at the end of the paper. In short, an APA format paper provides credit to source information in a professional manner and shows the reader that the paper is well-structured and easy to understand.

APA Format Example

Difference Between MLA and APA Format

MLA vs APA format are the two most followed formatting styles for most academic majors. With the publication of their latest edition, such as MLA 9 and APA 7, there come distinct features in both. Here, we will explain the key difference between APA and MLA format in terms of title page, author’s name, in-text citation, and references.

APA vs MLA Format Guidelines

At the very start, let’s understand the general guidelines for APA vs MLA format. Despite differences in referencing, quoting, and title page, the general guidelines are quite similar in both styles. Let’s take a look at their fonts, margins, spacing, and title placement instructions.

Features	APA format guidelines	MLA format guidelines
Font Style	Times New Roman (Arial and Calibri fonts are also acceptable)	The recommended font is Times New Roman (Arial and Calibri are also acceptable)
Font Size	Use 12pt for Times New Roman, and others 11pt.	Time New Roman 12pt, remaining fonts follow 11 pt.
Line spacing	Double spaced	Double spaced
Indentation	Every paragraph’s first line indent by 0.5 inch	Indent every paragraph’s first line by 0.5 inch
Title placement	Center no bold	Center, bold, title case

APA Format vs MLA Format Title Page

The latest MLA 9th edition and APA 7th edition have unique requirements to format a research paper title page. Read on to get an overview of how to make a title page in both styles.

MLA Format Title Page

Although there is no such MLA title page in the latest edition, you mention the title page information in the first-page header. It includes your full name, your instructor’s name, the course title or number, and the submission date. All this comes at the top with left-aligned and double-spaced. After that, the paper title comes with a new line under the header information with center alignment. Right after the title, you start the paragraph text on the same page.

APA format title page

An APA title page is the first dedicated page for student and professional papers. It lists the paper title in bold at the upper half of the page, followed by your full name, institute and department, course name and number, instructor’s name, and due date. All come with center-aligned and double-spaced. However, an additional header section at the top where the page number appears at the flush right and a short title overview under 50 characters flush left, right in front of the page number.

MLA vs APA in Text Citation

While comparing MLA vs APA format, keep in mind that both follow parenthetical citation style, but they include slightly different information.

APA format in text citation

APA in text citation format includes the author’s last name and publication year. Additionally, if quoting or paraphrasing a specific passage, also include the page number. When quoting two authors in APA citation, separate them using apprehend (&). For multiple authors such as 3 or more, APA in text citations, use ‘et al.’ after writing the first author’s last name.

MLA format in text citation 

In text citation MLA format focuses on the author’s last name and page number while excluding publication year. In MLA in text citation, you use ‘and’ between two authors. In MLA in text citations, use ‘et al.’ for three or more authors.

MLA vs APA Reference Page

Both APA vs MLA reference page come at the end of the paper. Here, you cite all the sources used in the paper within proper guidelines. In APA, this section is labeled as ‘references’ with bold and center-aligned. On the other hand, the reference section in MLA format Work Cited as a label, but not in bold. More differences are shown in the table below.

Features	MLA style references	APA style references
Author name	Last name, first name (Smith, Jacob	Last name, Initial (Smith, J)
Capitalizing the source title	Complete Title CaseE.g., Social Media: A Digital Weapon	Normal sentence case, but capitalize the first letter after the colon. e.g., Social media: A digital weapon
Date of Publication	Without parentheses and after the publisher information.Vol 23, p12, no.4, 2024	In Parentheses and after the author’s name. Smith, J (2025)
URL and DOIs	URL or DOI ends with a periodhttps://doi.org/10.1234/abcd5678.	URL or DOI ends without putting a period https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd5678

MLA Format vs APA Format Authors

Citing authors in MLA vs APA format differs based on name formatting, number of authors, and in-text citation styles. Here’s a detailed overview of how to cite authors in both styles.

Features	MLA 9th Edition	APA 7th Edition
Citing one author	Last name, First Name, Page number.E.g.: (Marcus, Freddy, 26)	Last Name, Initial, year, pg.(Marcus, F, 2025, pg.23)
Citing two authors	Author 1 last name and author 2 last name, pg number.E.g.: (Freddy and Jackson, 22)	1st author last name & 2nd author last name, year.(Freddy & Jackson, 2025, p. 22)
Citing multiple authors (3 or more)	First Author’s Last Name et al. page number.(Freddy et al., 22)	1st Author Last Name followed by et al., Year, pg. Freddy et al., 2024, p. 33)

MLA Format vs APA vs Chicago

MLA, APA, and Chicago are all major citation styles used to format papers. However, each standard has its own domain or field of study in which it fits. Just like MLA is for humanities, APA is for social sciences, and likewise, Chicago is used in history-related fields.

However, the main distinction for each formatting style lies in how in-text citations and reference lists are formatted within each style. But in modern times, many reference generator tools have overcome the citation hurdles.

For instance, use the MLA citation generator to form citations in MLA style. The APA referencing generator and Chicago referencing generator are also at your disposal to make the citation game easier to handle.

Final Thoughts

In fact, there is no fast and hard rule in learning differences between MLA vs APA format. Both styles are equally important in academic and professional life until you master them.

Some people think an MLA format is easier, while for others, APA format can be easily conquered. But the truth is that both take time to practice. At last, we recommend focusing more on writing the paper as formatting could be done lately by following the above guidelines.