Mla and apa format
EnglishDefinition
Two widely used citation and formatting styles for academic papers. MLA (Modern Language Association) is standard in English and humanities courses, while APA (American Psychological Association) is used in social sciences and psychology. Both provide rules for in-text citations, Works Cited or References pages, and paper formatting.
How It Works
- Identify which format your teacher or discipline requires.
- Format your paper with the correct margins, font, spacing, and header style.
- Use the proper in-text citation format (MLA uses author and page; APA uses author and year).
- Create entries for every source on your Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) page.
- Arrange your source list alphabetically by the author's last name.
- Double-check hanging indents, italics, and punctuation in each entry.
Examples
- MLA in-text citation: (Smith 42)
- APA in-text citation: (Smith, 2023)
- MLA Works Cited entry for a book: Smith, John. The Great Novel. Penguin, 2020.
Study This Concept
Practice MLA and APA format with free review games in these units: