Citation Styles   Tags: apa, citations, format, mla, references, research, works cited  

When you are writing a paper for class, often you will see instructions like "Use APA format" or "Follow MLA guidelines."

What does that mean?

The Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) issue guides to help students and researchers organize their papers and give credit to their sources.  MLA style is used more often for English papers; APA style is used more often for social science papers. 

There is no restriction on who may use which style.  You might have one history instructor who prefers MLA style and another who prefers APA.  Use the style your instructor requires for your paper.

This Guide contains tips and examples for using both APA and MLA format. Please click on one of the tabs above for more information on APA or MLA style.

Always use the style your instructor asks for.  Include any special formatting he/she requires, even if it does not follow style guidelines. 

For example: 

MLA style does not require you to list the URL for a web citation.  If your instructor requires one, make sure you include it in your citation.

If your instructor requires that you use a particular font, be sure to become familiar with that font and to apply it when typing your written assignments.