How to Recognize the Differences between APA and MLA Format
- 1). ***The Top Right Hand Corner of the Paper*** APA format dictates that the first few words of the title, either the first three words or the first 50 characters, plus the page number are displayed in the upper right hand corner (known and the top, right header) of every page, including the title page. The author's name and page number belong in the top right header of an MLA formatted paper.
- 2). ***The Bibliography Page*** The sequence of information in both MLA and APA references is essentially the same, but an important difference is the listing of the authors being cited. In APA, use only the last name and first initial of cited authors, and in MLA, spell out both the first and last name. List the sources in alphabetical order.
- 3). ***In Text Citations*** APA format specifies that in-text citations appear at the end of the cited portion in parenthesis before the period. The last name of the cited author and year of publication are inside the parenthesis , separated by a comma. In an MLA formatted in-text citation, use the last name of the cited author and the page number from the publication the information came from.
- 4). ***Capitalize the Title*** There are subtle differences in how each format dictates capitalization of titles. If your instructor as designated APA as the format of choice, you only capitalize the first word of te title. If MLA is used, be to capitalize all major words of the title.
- 5). ***Abstracts*** The abstract of a paper is a short summary that comes right after the title page and before the main text of the paper. MLA format does not require an abstract, while APA formatted papers do. NOTE: Some instructors will forgo the abstract on a paper that is less than 5,000 words, so be sure to ask if one is required.
- 6). *** The Source Page*** This is the final page in the paper and it contains the list of sources in alphabetical order (see note above under the Bibliography page). The title on this page in an APA formatted paper is "References." If the paper is following MLA guidelines, the title on this final page is called "Works Cited." The title is to be centered at the top of the page in both APA and MLA.
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