The Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) have both created standard formats for formatting research papers and citing sources.
There are other styles for formatting papers, but these are two of the most common. The resources below will help you format your paper and cite your sources correctly.
Not sure which to use? Check with your instructor. Many instructors have a preference between MLA and APA, and they'll tell you which they expect to see in your papers. If not, choose whichever one makes you feel the most comfortable.
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The Modern Language Association has created formatting and citation guidelines for both students and advanced writers.
Your instructor may prefer that the official MLA formatting style be tailored for course purposes; be sure to follow your instructor's guidance.
The American Psychological Association has designed a style of formatting papers and citations as a guide for manuscripts intended for publication in the sciences, education, social work, business, and nursing.
Since it is not specifically designed for student papers, some alteration of the official style may be necessary in completing your assignment. Please consult with your instructor for details on how to tailor APA style to your assignment.
Chicago Style was initially developed as a short style guide for the Chicago University Press. It has grown and developed into a full style guide that is used in a variety of fields.
Chicago Style is a little different from APA and MLA because it uses footnotes to list citations rather than a works cited or references page at the end of the paper.
