APA vs MLA: what's the difference?
APA and MLA are the two most common citation styles in schools and universities. They record the same information in a different order and emphasis — here's how they compare.
At a glance
| APA 7 | MLA 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Common in | Psychology, education, sciences, nursing | English, literature, humanities |
| In-text citation | (Smith, 2021, p. 4) | (Smith 4) |
| List title | References | Works Cited |
| Author names | Smith, J. A. | Smith, Jane A. |
| Date position | Right after the author | Near the end |
| Article titles | Sentence case, no quotation marks | Title case, in quotation marks |
| Three or more authors (in-text) | (Smith et al., 2021) | (Smith et al.) |
The same journal article in both styles
APA: King, A., Chen, B., & Diaz, C. (2021). Soil microbes and yield. Journal of Agronomy, 12(3), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1234/jag.2021.003
MLA: King, Ada, et al. “Soil Microbes and Yield.” Journal of Agronomy, vol. 12, no. 3, 2021, pp. 45–67, https://doi.org/10.1234/jag.2021.003.
In both styles the journal name is italicized; APA also italicizes the volume number.
Which should you use?
Use the style your instructor, department or publisher asks for. As a rule of thumb, APA's emphasis on the year suits fields where recent research matters, while MLA's author-and-page citations suit close reading of texts.
Tools used in this guide
Related guides
APA vs MLA: what's the difference? — FAQ
Neither is harder — they include similar information. MLA in-text citations are shorter, while APA puts the year up front.