Noting Some of the Major Differences Between MLA and APA Style

There is a much-told piece of wisdom which states that it is not so what a person says, but how they say it that is important. Of course, we know that this is true to an extent, and we can also extend this little bit of advice into other areas as well. When writing, or presenting in our ideas or research, the format and the manner in which we choose to do it also becomes very important. One of the most commonly taught methods of writing and presenting research in a professional manner is known as MLA, or the Modern Language Association. This method is generally accepted, and even most colleges or universities will offer classes which accept MLA formatted papers. However, just knowing MLA formatting will often not be enough. The writing and formatting method known as APA, or American Psychological Association, is becoming more and more widely used, especially in institutes of higher learning. For that reason, it is important that we take a few minutes and look at some of the major differences between APA and MLA styling.

Although this article is not intended to provide a complete discourse on the how to write APA style effectively and completely (entire books have been written on that) it will serve as an effective refresher or a decent introduction into APA style as taken at a glance. Each paragraph below lists one of the major changes found in APA format as opposed to MLA or perhaps Chicago, and the best way to put these changes into a paper or research project.

The first thing to remember about writing in APA style is the format of the paper itself. While MLA is generally intended for writing professionally, APA is designed largely for the presentation of research, and thus the format and organization of the paper is entirely different from what one might expect. The paper begins with a title page, is followed by an abstract (an under 120 word summary of the paper or project), then the body, broken up into an introduction, methods, results, discussion and references. There may also be different sub-heading placed under the main section breaks of the paper. The title page, abstract, and body of the paper are all separated and placed onto different pages. The entire body is grouped together, but there are pages breaks between the title page, abstract, body, and subsequently the references, tables, figure captions and figures.

Page numbering is something else that needs to be adjusted when making the transition from MLA style to APA style. Unlike MLA, numbering begins at the title pages, it is continued up until the page detailing the figure captions. The figures themselves are placed on a separate page from the captions and are not numbered.

Remember that the formatting of the actual document is very important as well. APA requires that all margins are made to be one inch from the edge on all sides. The entire paper is to be double spaced, even the title pages, figure captions and so on. APA does allow choice in font used, as either Times New Roman or Courier are both acceptable, however, the entire document must be prepared in 12 point font. There is only one space after punctuation, including periods. Remember to set paragraph indentations at .25". Although the tendency may be to justify the font when typing the paper, that is not acceptable in APA style. The text should be aligned to the left, and allowed to make an uneven edge on the right side of the paper.

There are also some important differences as to what goes at the top of the paper. On the title page, we place something known as a "running head". A running head is a short title that appears typed at the top of the title page, this is the only page that it can be found on. Simply type "Running head:" on the left side of the paper below the page header. Following that, type a short title that will appear in all capital letters. The page header is another thing to be careful about. The page header is simply the first couple words of the title and the page number. It is typed all the way to the right side of the paper, and is the first line on every page. There should be roughly five to seven spaces between the abbreviated title and the page number.

There are also a few other conventions that many seem to forget about when using APA style. Such as, contractions are never allowed, words must always be written out. Also, remember that active voice is always considered superior to passive voice, and should be used whenever possible. Always remember to properly cite your sources and to use the information in an appropriate and helpful way. Large chunks of quotes is not proper, rather, paraphrase and cite the source to make the paper more helpful and more informative.

Although APA style can seem very difficult or strange at first, if we approach it calmly and optimistically, we will find that it is really not all that different from writing in any other style. If we take what we have learned from writing in other presentation methods, and apply that experience to APA writing, with a little practice and a little dedication, we will find that it is an enjoyable and effective method with which to convey our ideas, thoughts, and research. Good luck and happy writing!