Students switching between literature and psychology courses constantly mix up parentheses, commas, and page headers. Mixing up MLA and APA rules is one of the easiest ways to lose points on an essay.
When to use MLA vs APA by discipline
The discipline determines the citation philosophy. In the humanities (literature, philosophy, languages, cultural studies), the exact quote on a specific page of a novel matters, so MLA highlights the author and page number. In the social and health sciences (psychology, economics, sociology, health sciences), findings evolve quickly, so APA highlights the author and the publication year.
| Formatting Element | MLA Format (9th Edition) | APA Format (7th Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Fields | Humanities, Literature, Languages, Art, Cultural Studies | Psychology, Education, Sociology, Business, Nursing, Social Sciences |
| In-Text Citation | (Smith 142) without a comma between author and page | (Smith, 2024, p. 142) with author, year, and page separated by commas |
| Bibliography Page Title | Works Cited | References |
| Title Page | Usually omitted, with a 4-line header on first page | Separate title page with title, name, affiliation, course, instructor, due date |
| Page Header (Running Head) | Last Name and Page Number in top-right corner (Smith 1) | Page number only in top-right corner (for student papers) |
| Author Names in References | Full first name used, such as Smith, John E. | Initials only, such as Smith, J. E. |
| Source Titles in References | Title Case for book and article titles | Sentence case for articles and books. Journal titles stay in Title Case italics |
| Block Quote Indent | Indent 0.5 inches for quotes longer than 4 lines of prose | Indent 0.5 inches for quotes of 40 words or more |
In-text citation rules and practical examples
In MLA, do not place a comma between the author and the page number, written as "Reading fiction improves empathy" (Oatley 45). If you introduce the author in your text, only include the page number, written as According to Oatley, reading fiction improves empathy (45).
In APA, you must include the year of publication, written as "Cognitive behavioral therapy showed significant symptom reduction" (Beck, 2021, p. 89). If you cite the study without a direct quotation, the page number is optional but the year is mandatory, written as Beck (2021) demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy reduces symptoms.
How to format bibliography entries
MLA Book Citation - Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Vintage Books, 2004.
APA Book Citation - Morrison, T. (2004). Beloved. Vintage Books.
MLA Journal Article Citation - Davis, Laura. "Memory and Trauma in Modern Fiction." Journal of Literary Studies, vol. 34, no. 2, 2023, pp. 112-128.
APA Journal Article Citation - Davis, L. (2023). Memory and trauma in modern fiction. Journal of Literary Studies, 34(2), 112-128.
Common citation mistakes that cost easy points
- Forgetting hanging indents, where every bibliography entry in both MLA and APA must indent all lines after the first line by 0.5 inches.
- Putting periods inside the quotation mark instead of after the parenthetical citation. Always write "quote" (Smith 12), do not write "quote." (Smith 12).
- Capitalizing every word in an APA article title. APA requires sentence case for article titles in the references list.
- Using et al. incorrectly. In APA 7th edition, any work with three or more authors is shortened to the first author plus et al. on the very first citation.
People also ask
- How do I know whether my professor wants MLA or APA?
- Check the course syllabus and the assignment prompt. If it is not stated, ask your instructor or default to MLA for English, history, and art, and APA for psychology, sociology, nursing, and business. Engineers and science majors often owe allegiance to IEEE, ACS, or AMA instead. When in doubt, the syllabus wins.
- Does Turnitin flag my bibliography page as plagiarism?
- Yes, unless your instructor enables the "exclude bibliography" filter in the Turnitin assignment settings. Even when highlighted, citation overlap is not academic misconduct. Instructors review matches to verify proper formatting.
- Can I use online citation generators safely?
- Citation generators frequently misplace capitalization, miss journal volume numbers, or leave out author initials. Always proofread generated entries against official style manual examples.
References & Authoritative Sources
- [1]MLA Style Center and Guidelines (9th Edition) · Modern Language Association
- [2]APA Style and Grammar Guidelines (7th Edition) · American Psychological Association
- [3]MLA General Format · Purdue OWL
- [4]APA General Format · Purdue OWL