Compare styles

MLA, APA or Chicago: which one?

MLA is for English and the humanities, APA for psychology, education, nursing and the social sciences, and Chicago for history. They differ in where the date goes, how a source is named in the text, and what the first page looks like.

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On this page
  1. Side by side
  2. The same book, three ways
  3. Which one to use
  4. Questions

Updated

Side by side

Used in
MLA: English, languages, humanities. APA: psychology, education, nursing, business, social sciences. Chicago: history, art history, religion, some humanities.
First page
MLA: a heading block, no title page. APA: a title page. Chicago (Turabian): a title page.
Header
MLA: last name and page. APA student: page number only. Chicago: page number.
In the text
MLA: (Walker 112). APA: (Walker, 2017, p. 112). Chicago: a footnote, or (Walker 2017, 112) in author-date.
List of sources
MLA: Works Cited. APA: References. Chicago: Bibliography, or References in author-date.
Dates
MLA: near the end of the entry. APA: right after the author. Chicago notes: near the end; author-date: after the author.
Titles
MLA and Chicago: title case. APA: sentence case for articles and books in References.

The same book, three ways

MLA 9 Works Cited

Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.

MLA in the text

(Walker 112)

APA 7 References

Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.

APA in the text

(Walker, 2017, p. 112)

Chicago bibliography

Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.

Chicago footnote

Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (Scribner, 2017), 112.

In Format, switching the paper’s style rewrites every citation and the list at the end at once.

Which one to use

  • Your instructor or syllabus decides. If it does not say, ask; do not guess from the subject.
  • English class or literature paper: almost always MLA. Start with MLA format.
  • Psychology, nursing, education, sociology: almost always APA. Start with APA format.
  • History: usually Chicago notes. Start with Chicago style.
  • Engineering and computer science: usually IEEE, with numbered references.

Questions

Is MLA or APA easier?

Neither is shorter. MLA citations are brief in the text; APA adds the year. The work is in the list at the end either way.

Can I mix styles?

No. One style for the whole paper.

What is Turabian?

Chicago style adapted for student papers.