MLA v APA Formatting Style - Know The Main Difference

A set of rules which provide guidelines about the citation of sources in an academic paper is known as citation style. The guidelines of the citation style are published in the form of an official handbook. This official handbook contains examples, instructions and explanations. The most commonly used citation styles are MLA, APA and Chicago etc. Anyhow, APA and MLA are the most important citation styles. Its reason is that these citation styles are used at a wide scale. Anyhow, there is a difference between these citation styles. The main differences between MLA and APA citation styles are explained below by a dissertation help firm;

What Is APA Formatting Style?

APA is an essential citation style to cite the sources in academic papers. Usually, this citation style is used to cite the sources in the behavioural and social sciences academic papers. It is used to aid the reading in the academic papers. We can also use it to cite the sources in the journal articles and books. The most important aspect of this citation style is that it is simple to use. It was developed by the American Psychological Association. Along with behavioural and social sciences, the students of some other disciplines also use this citation style to cite the references.

What Is MLA Formatting Style?

This citation style was developed by the Modern Language Association. That’s why it is the most used citation style in language and literary studies. By using the MLA citation style, we have to use parenthetical citations. These parenthetical citations contain the author name and page number of the resources. To cite the sources in an academic paper, you should also make sure that you have followed the same citation style guide in other sections of the academic paper.

Read More: 5 Strategies To Stay Motivated When Writing Dissertation

Difference Between MLA And APA Formatting Styles:

As we have discussed earlier that we are using MLA and APA formatting styles in the academic papers. The layout and the formatting of the MLA and APA formatting styles are different from each other. The main differences between them are explained below;

In-Text Citations:

Either we are citing sources by using MLA citation style or APA citation style, we have to use parenthetical citations to cite the sources. Anyhow, they provide the information in different ways. If you are citing the sources by using the APA in-text citation, you will have to write the last name of the author and publication year. Moreover, you will have to add a specific page of the source. In the case of MLA citation style, you will have to include the last name of the author and page number of the resource.

Reference List:

At the end of your academic paper, you will have to include a complete list of the resources. This list should be presented on a separate page. If you are using APA formatting style, this separate page is known as a reference list. On the other hand, if you are using MLA formatting style, this separate page is known as works cited. You will have to use different methods to enter resources in the reference list. You can find some automated software to enter these entries.

Formatting:

The general formatting of the APA and MLA formatting styles are almost the same. You will have to use Times New Roman font style. Its size should be 12 ppt. You will have to include double spacing between the words. There should be a one-inch margin from all sides of the page.

Read More: The Art of Writing a Dissertation You Should Know  

Title Page And Header:

In the APA, you will have to include a separate title page. In this separate title page, you will have to include the title of your academic paper, your name, your supervisor name and your institution’s name. There should be double spacing between these words and these words should be centred. In the case of MLA citation style, you don’t need to include a title page. Instead of the title page, you will have to include the header. It means that you should include four-lines heading on the first page of the academic paper.

Running Head:

You must include running head on every page in both MLA and APA formatting styles. In the MLA formatting style, your last name and the page number is the running head. Both of them should be right-aligned. In the APA formatting style, the title of your academic paper is the running head. It should be left-aligned.

Blockquote Formatting:

In the APA formatting style, if you have to include more than 40 words quote, it should be considered as a blockquote. On the other hand, in the MLA formatting style, if you have to include more than four lines of prose, it is considered a blockquote. If you have to include more than three lines of verse, it is also known as a blockquote.