APA is a research format created by the American Psychological Association. The format is used by the medical and social science fields in particular. It is important to consult your course syllabus and assignment guidelines to determine the required format for any research assignment.
Because of the fields of study that use APA, the research style is very focused regarding who and when--who wrote a book, or a journal article, or conducted a research study or sponsored material on a website, as well as when the material was published.
Whenever information from an outside source is utilized in your paper you must cite that source within your paper and include a full citation at the end of the paper. In APA, this list of citations at the end of the research essay is known as the References page.
You can find more information regarding writing, research, and APA style in the Learning Resource Center Libguide.
Because of the career fields utilizing APA format, APA is more concerned with WHO and WHEN regarding citations, on the References list and in-text.
Here are examples of an APA Reference list entry and an APA in-text citation for the source.
On the References page:
In-text:
MLA places more emphasis on WHO and WHERE the cited material can be located within the source. Here is an example of the same resource in MLA style, both on the Works Cited page and in-text.
On the Works Cited page:
In-text:
MLA stands for "Modern Language Association," which is the organization that created the MLA research format.
Just as you would when using APA, whenever information from an outside source is utilized in your paper you must cite that source within your paper and include a full citation at the end of the paper. In MLA, this list of citations at the end of the research essay is known as the Works Cited page. Citing your sources gives credit to the creator of the original work.
As with all assignments, it is crucial to consult your course syllabus or instructor to confirm what citation style is required for your paper.
You can also find more information regarding writing, research, and MLA style in the Learning Resource Center Libguide.
