APA vs MLA Citations: Simple Cheat Sheet with Examples

APA and MLA are the two citation styles students meet most often. APA (American Psychological Association) is common in psychology, education, nursing and social sciences. MLA (Modern Language Association) is common in English, languages and the humanities. Always follow your instructor's instructions first, because rules can differ by class. The examples below follow APA 7th edition and MLA 9th edition.

The main difference in one sentence

APA puts the date near the front because recent research matters. MLA focuses on the author and page because close reading of texts matters.

In-text citations

	APA 7	MLA 9
Paraphrase	(Smith, 2023)	(Smith)
Direct quote	(Smith, 2023, p. 45)	(Smith 45)
Two authors	(Smith & Lee, 2023)	(Smith and Lee 45)
Three or more authors	(Smith et al., 2023)	(Smith et al. 45)

Reference list vs Works Cited

APA calls the final list "References". MLA calls it "Works Cited". Both are alphabetical by author's last name and use a hanging indent, where the second and later lines of each entry are indented.

Book example

APA: Smith, J. (2023). Understanding teen sleep. Oak Publishing.

MLA: Smith, Jane. Understanding Teen Sleep. Oak Publishing, 2023.

Website example

APA: Smith, J. (2024, March 12). How much sleep do teens need? Sleep Health Hub. https://example.com/teen-sleep

MLA: Smith, Jane. "How Much Sleep Do Teens Need?" Sleep Health Hub, 12 Mar. 2024, example.com/teen-sleep.

Journal article example

Scholarly articles are where the two styles look most different, so it helps to see them side by side.

APA: Lee, K., & Alvarez, M. (2022). School start times and teen alertness. Journal of Adolescent Health Studies, 14(2), 101-118. https://doi.org/10.0000/example

MLA: Lee, Karen, and Maria Alvarez. "School Start Times and Teen Alertness." Journal of Adolescent Health Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, 2022, pp. 101-18.

Notice that APA italicizes the journal name and the volume number together and puts the issue in parentheses. MLA spells out "vol." and "no." and shortens the second page number when it can (118 becomes 18). The DOI is the permanent link for the article, and both styles welcome it when you have one.

Quoting and paraphrasing

Suppose your source says, on page 45, that teens need about eight to ten hours of sleep. If you paraphrase, you are putting the idea in your own words, and you still cite it. If you quote it, you copy the exact words inside quotation marks.

APA paraphrase: Teenagers generally need more sleep than adults do (Smith, 2023).

APA quote: Smith (2023) argued that "most teens run a nightly sleep debt" (p. 45).

MLA paraphrase: Teenagers generally need more sleep than adults do (Smith 45).

MLA quote: Smith argues that "most teens run a nightly sleep debt" (45).

Long quotations work differently. In APA, a quote of 40 words or more goes in a separate indented block without quotation marks. MLA uses a block when the quote runs more than four lines of prose. In both cases, try to use block quotes rarely. A paragraph made mostly of other people's words does not show your own thinking.

Step by step: citing one source from scratch

Identify the source type: book, journal article, web page, video or something else. The type decides which pattern you follow.
Write down the author, title, container (for example the journal or website), publisher, date and link.
Put the pieces in the order your style requires. APA starts with author and date. MLA starts with author and title.
Format the details: italics for book and journal titles, quotation marks for article titles in MLA, sentence case in APA.
Add the matching short citation at the spot in your paper where you used the source.
Alphabetize the full entry in your list and check the hanging indent.

Common mistakes

Mixing styles. Using an APA year in parentheses inside an MLA paper is one of the easiest errors to make when you copy from different tools.
Missing page numbers on quotes. Both styles expect a page or paragraph number when you quote directly, if the source has one.
Wrong order in the list. Entries are alphabetical by the first word, usually the author's last name, not by date or by the order you used them.
Citing a source you never opened. If you only read a summary of a study, cite the summary or track down the original.
Leaving out the author when there is none. Use the title instead. In the short citation, use the first few words of the title in quotation marks.

Key differences at a glance

Author names: APA uses last name and initials (Smith, J.). MLA uses the full name as printed (Smith, Jane).
Titles: APA uses sentence case for article and book titles. MLA uses title case.
Dates: APA puts the year in parentheses after the author. MLA puts the date later in the entry.
URLs: APA includes the full URL. MLA usually drops "https://".
Access dates: APA generally does not require them. MLA treats them as optional.

Tips to avoid mistakes

Collect source details while you research: author, title, publisher or website, date and URL.
Check that every in-text citation has a matching entry in the list, and the other way around.
Do not trust automatic citations blindly. They often get capitalization and dates wrong.
Ask your instructor which edition and style variations they want.

Quick takeaways

APA highlights the year, MLA highlights the author and page.
APA calls the list "References", MLA calls it "Works Cited".
Use sentence case for titles in APA and title case in MLA.
Every in-text citation needs a matching list entry.
Follow your instructor's rules first, then the style guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which style should I use if my teacher does not say?

Ask. If you cannot, choose the style common in the subject: APA for psychology, education and most social sciences, MLA for literature and language classes. Then use that style consistently from start to finish.

Do I need to include the URL?

APA asks for the full link for web sources. MLA allows you to drop "https://" and treats the link as recommended. If a page has a DOI, use that for either style.

What if a web page has no date?

In APA, write "n.d." where the date would go. In MLA, leave the date out and consider adding the date you accessed the page at the end of the entry.

Are online citation generators reliable?

They save time, but they copy whatever data the page gives them, so they often miss author names or use the wrong capitalization. Treat the output as a draft and check it against a style guide.

Create a citation quickly

Use our free Citation Generator to build a basic APA or MLA citation for a website or book. Always compare the result with your style guide or school library resources for unusual sources. If you are planning a paper, our essay outline guide shows how to keep track of evidence as you write.