The Short Answer

APA (American Psychological Association) is used primarily in social sciences, education, nursing, and business. MLA (Modern Language Association) is the standard for humanities, literature, and the arts. When in doubt, always check your course syllabus or ask your professor — citation style is non-negotiable in academic writing.

Key Differences at a Glance

The most immediately visible difference is how sources are cited in-text. APA uses author-date format: (Smith, 2023), while MLA uses author-page format: (Smith 47). This reflects the different values of each discipline — sciences prioritize when research was conducted, while humanities prioritize where in a text something was said.

Reference List vs Works Cited

APA calls its source list a "Reference List" and includes only sources cited in the text. MLA calls it "Works Cited" — same rule applies. The formatting of each entry differs significantly.

Journal Article — Side by Side

APA 7th:
Smith, J. A., & Johnson, B. C. (2023). The psychology of procrastination in college students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(3), 412–428. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000789

MLA 9th:
Smith, John A., and Barbara C. Johnson. "The Psychology of Procrastination in College Students." Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 115, no. 3, 2023, pp. 412–428.

When to Use Each

Use APA for: psychology, sociology, education, nursing, business, economics, criminology.

Use MLA for: English literature, comparative literature, cultural studies, media studies, philosophy, foreign languages.

Chicago style (not covered here) is common in history, theology, and some social sciences.

Pro Tips

  • Use Zotero or Mendeley to manage citations automatically
  • Always check if your institution has a specific edition requirement
  • Double-check hanging indents in your reference list (0.5 inch)
  • When using APA, use "doi:" prefix before DOI numbers in APA 7th