Introduction to the Topic
As students at Northwestern University, most of us are familiar with the necessity of, and perhaps the basic rules for, citing the sources we reference while writing papers or assignments. Depending on our areas of study, however, we are often most familiar with the requirements of just one style guide when it comes to citations. It can thus be challenging when a professor requests citations according to guidelines with which we are not familiar. This brief citation guide will focus on the rules of two styles most commonly used at Northwestern—those of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). Though the basic formats for each of these styles are not exactly the same, many students might be surprised to see that some similarities actually do exist between the two!
MLA vs. APA: Some Key Differences
In-Text Citations
MLA Basic Format:
- In-text citations that refer readers to a list of works cited at the end of the paper
- If the author is named in a signal phrase within the sentence, the page number should be provided in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence (in parentheses, before the period).
- If the author is not named in the sentence, then the last name of the author should appear in the parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence, with the page number (there should be no punctuation between the name and the page number). Example: (Rodosky 5).
APA Basic Format:
- In-text citations, which provide at least the author’s name and year of publication (the page number should also be given for direct quotations, and some summaries/paraphrases) and refer readers to a list of references at the end of the paper
- A quotation should be introduced by a signal phrase including the author’s name, which should be immediately followed by the year of publication in parentheses; the page number should be included in parentheses after the quotation, preceded by “p.” or “pp.”
- If the author’s name is not included in a signal phrase, then the author’s name, year of publication, and page number should be listed in a parenthetical citation after the quotation.
- For a summary or paraphrase, use the same format as for a quotation (listed above); the page number should still be included to help readers find the passage
Table of Similarities and Differences
Comparison of Rules:
|
MLA |
APA |
|
| Format of titles | The titles of articles should be included in quotation marksThe titles of books should be italicized
|
The titles of short works (articles, chapters, etc.) should be listed in quotation marksThe titles of longer works (books, reports, etc.) should be italicized |
| If the author is unknown | Use the complete title in a signal phrase, or use a short form of the title in the parenthetical citation | Introduce the title in a signal phrase, or list the first couple words of the title in the parenthetical citation |
| Sources with multiple authors | 2 or 3: name authors in a signal phrase or in the parenthetical citation (if 3, separate names by commas)4 or more: name all or only 1st author followed by “et al.” | 2: name both in signal phrase or parenthetical citation 1st time source is cited3 to 5: name all authors in signal phrase or parenthetical citation 1st time you cite source; in later citations list 1st author’s name followed by “et al.”
6 or more: name1st author followed by “et al.” in signal phrase or parenthetical citation |
| To cite more than 1 work within the same citation | List them in alphabetical order in the parentheses, separated by semicolons | List them in order in which they appear in list of references at end of paper, separated by semicolons |
| To cite an indirect source | Begin parenthetical citation with “qtd. in” | Name original source in signal phrase; list secondary source in reference list and in parenthetical citation, preceded by “as cited in” |
| Abbreviations | Paragraph: “par.”Section: “sec.” | Paragraph: “para.”No date: “n.d.” |
| Two or more works by same author | Include the titles in a signal phrase or in the parenthetical citation | If written in the same year, include lowercase letters with |
* Purple sections indicate rules that are the same for both styles.
Citations Lists: An MLA Works Cited vs. an APA List of References
MLA Works Cited
Basic Formats:
Book
Author last name, first name. Title. City of publication: Publisher, Date. Medium.
Example: Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.
Article
Author last name, first name. “Article title.” Journal title volume/issue (year): page(s). Medium
Example: Shen, Min. “ ‘Quite a Moon!’ The Archetypal Feminine in Our Town.” American Drama 16.2 (2007): 1-14. Print.
Website
Author last name, first name/organization name. Title of website. Sponsor of site, year updated. Medium. Date of access (day month year).
Example: American Library Association. American Library Association. ALA, 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2009.
* If there is no author, start with the title of the website; if there is no title, use the “home page” or similar description in place of title.
Helpful Hints:
- always include the medium in which the work was published
- shorten publishers’ names to their first principle word; abbreviate “University” and “Press” to “UP”
- use the date on the title page or the most recent date on the copyright page
APA References
Basic Formats:
Book
Author last name, initial(s). (year). Title. Place of publication: Publisher.
Example: Egeland, J. (2008). A billion lives: An eyewitness report from the frontlines of humanity. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Article
Author last name, initial(s). (year). Title (article). Journal title, volume, pages. DOI
Example: Holtug, N. (2010). Immigration and the politics of social cohesion. Ethnicities, 10, 435-451. doi:10.1177/1468796810378320
Document from a Website
Author(s’) last name, initial(s)/organization name. (online publication date). Document title. Retrieved from URL.
Example: Cain, A., & Burris, M. (1999, April). Investigation of the use of mobile phones while driving. Retrieved from http://www.cutr.usf.edu/pdf/mobile_phone_text.PDF
*If referring to specific section in a web document, list the title of the section between the year and the title of web document.
Helpful Hints:
- all author’s names should be inverted, with initials used for their first and middle names
- the date of publication should appear immediately after the author’s name (or title if author is unknown)
Table of Similarities and Differences
Comparison of Rules
|
MLA: Works Cited |
APA: References |
|
| Alphabetization | Alphabetize entries by authors’ last names (or title if author is unknown) | Alphabetize entries by authors’ last names (or title if author is unknown) |
| Sources with multiple authors | 2 or 3: list the 2nd and 3rd authors’ names with their full names in normal order, connected by “and”4 or more: name all authors (each after 1st in normal order), or name 1st author followed by “et al.” | up to 7: list authors by last names followed by initials (use “&” before name of last author8 or more: list 6 authors, followed by an ellipsis and last author’s name |
| Articles in periodicals | Provide range of pages for articles appearing on consecutive pages (if not, give 1st page number followed by a plus sign—5+) | Provide range of pages for articles appearing on consecutive pages, but list all pages where article appears if not consecutive* if article includes a DOI, include it at end of entry |
| Online sources | MLA doesn’t require inclusion of web address (URL), but if you choose to include it, enclose URL in angle brackets at end of citation | Use DOI when available in place of URL; if there is no DOI, then list URL for source’s home page, introduced by “Retrieved from” |
| Format of titles | Titles of books should be italicizedTitles of articles should be included in quotation marks | Titles of books should be italicizedTitles of articles should not be italicized, but should not appear in quotation marks either
*only the 1st word of a title should be capitalized |
| Abbreviations | Editor(s): “ed.” or “eds.”Translator(s): “trans.”
No publisher/sponsor: “n.p.” No date of publication: “n.d.” Not paginated: “n.pag.” |
Editor(s): “ed.” or “eds.”Translator(s): “trans.” |
| City of publication | City of publication should be given without the state | Provide city and state for all U.S. cities, but do not give state if publisher’s name includes it |
Purple sections indicate rules that are the same for both styles.
Practice Exercises: Converting and Correcting Citation Styles
Practice Exercise 1
Exercise 1: Are the following examples of citations correctly formatted? If not, correct them.
(A.) MLA Works Cited
1.) Harris, Shon, Allen Harper, Chris Eagle, and Jonathan Ness. Gray Hat Hacking. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw, 2007. Print
2.) von Drehle, David. Time. “The Ghosts of Memphis.” 7 Apr. 2008: 34-37. Print.
3.) Plath, Sylvia. “The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.” Ed. Karen V. Kukil. New York: Anchor-Doubleday, 2000. Print.
4.) Peterson, Susan Lynn. The Life of Martin Luther. Susan Lynn Peterson, 2005. Web. 24 Jan. 2009.
(B.) APA References
1.) Svoboda, Elizabeth. (2008, October 21). Deep in the Rain Forest, Stalking the Next Pandemic. The New York Times, p. D5.
2.) Musich, M. A., & Wilson, J. (2007). Volunteers: A social profile. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
3.) McKenzie, F. R. Theory and practice with adolescents: An applied approach. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, 2008.
4.) Eskritt, M., & Mcleod, K. (2008). Children’s note taking as a mnemonic tool. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 101, 52-74. doi:10.1016/jecp.2008.05.007
Answer Key for Exercise 1
Exercise 1: (A.) MLA Works Cited
1.) Correct
2.) Incorrect
[von Drehle, David. “The Ghosts of Memphis.” Time 7 Apr. 2008: 34-37. Print.]
3.) Incorrect
[Plath, Sylvia. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Karen V. Kukil. New York: Anchor-Doubleday, 2000. Print]
4.) Correct
Exercise 1: (B.) APA References
1.) Incorrect
[Svoboda, E. (2008, October 21). Deep in the rain forest, stalking the next pandemic. The New York Times, p. D5.]
2.) Correct
3.) Incorrect
[McKenzie, F. R. (2008). Theory and practice with adolescents: An applied approach. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.
4.) Correct
Practice Exercise 2
Exercise 2: Convert the following citations from MLA format to APA format.
1.) Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.
2.) Shen, Min. “ ‘Quite a Moon!’ The Archetypal Feminine in Our Town.” American Drama 16.2 (2007): 1-14. Print.
3.) American Library Association. American Library Association. ALA, 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2009.
Answer Key for Exercise 2
1.) Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York, NY: Knopf.
2.) Shen, M. (2007). “ ‘Quite a Moon!’ The Archetypal Feminine in Our Town.” American Drama 16, 2: 1-14.
3.) American Library Association. (2008). American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/
Practice Exercise 3
Exercise 3: Convert the following citations from APA format to MLA format.
1.) Egeland, J. (2008). A billion lives: An eyewitness report from the frontlines of humanity. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
2.) Holtug, N. (2010). Immigration and the politics of social cohesion. Ethnicities, 10, 435-451. doi:10.1177/1468796810378320
3.) Cain, A., & Burris, M. (1999, April). Investigation of the use of mobile phones while driving. Retrieved from http://www.cutr.usf.edu/pdf/mobile_phone_text.PDF
Answer Key for Exercise 3
1.) Egeland, Jan. A Billion Lives: An Eyewitness Report From the Frontlines of Humanity. New York: Simon Schuster, 2008. Print.
2.) Holtug, Nils. “Immigration and the Politics of Social Cohesion.” Ethnicities 10 (2010): 435-451. Print.
3.) Cain, Alasdair and Mark Burris. “Investigation of the Use of Mobile Phones While Driving.” Center for Urban Transportation Research. Center for Urban Transportation Research, 1999. Web 14 Jan. 2009.
Developed by Lauren Rodosky
Rules and examples adapted from:
Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Pocket Style Manual: Sixth Edition (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012).