MLA and APA Citation Styles: An Introduction
Trying to write that pesky research paper? Do you have no idea which format and citation style you are supposed to use? Or maybe you do know, but don’t know what the differences are between the two…
There are two main formatting and citation styles that you will be asked to use when writing papers for your college classes. These are known as APA (or American Psychological Association) and MLA (or Modern Language Association). While these are similar styles, it is important to know the differences between the two, when to use which, and how to use both correctly and effectively.
APA - American Psychological Association: This is the formatting and citation style that is preferred when your topic falls within the the fields of science of social science. In this style, pages must be numbered, a title page must be included, and in-text citations include commas. The next few blog posts will clearly outline how to properly use APA when you are asked.
MLA - Modern Language Association: This is the formatting and citation style that is used in disciplines relating to the humanities and liberal arts. In this style, pages are still numbered, however there is not a title page and in-text citations do not have commas. Like I’ll be doing with APA, there will be more blog posts later in the week clearly outlining how to best use MLA style.
Stay tuned: this week I’ll be clearly outlining how each of these styles work and how to write within their parameters!
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