MLA vs APA vs Chicago: Quick Reference Guide for Students

MLA, APA, and Chicago are the three citation systems most students encounter during their academic careers. Each serves a different discipline and follows different logic. This guide gives you a direct, no-filler comparison across every dimension that matters — so you can identify which style you need and apply it correctly.

Which Field Uses Which Style

Style	Primary disciplines	Governing body	Current edition
MLA	Literature, languages, humanities, cultural studies, film	Modern Language Association	9th edition (2021)
APA	Psychology, social sciences, education, nursing, business	American Psychological Association	7th edition (2020)
Chicago NB	History, art history, philosophy, religious studies	University of Chicago Press	17th edition (2017)
Chicago AD	Some social sciences, economics	University of Chicago Press	17th edition (2017)

In-Text Citation Format

Situation	MLA	APA	Chicago NB
One author	(Smith 45)	(Smith, 2022, p. 45)	¹ Smith, Title, 45.
Two authors	(Smith and Jones 45)	(Smith & Jones, 2022, p. 45)	¹ Smith and Jones, Title, 45.
Three or more	(Smith et al. 45)	(Smith et al., 2022, p. 45)	¹ Smith et al., Title, 45.
No author	(«Article Title» 45)	(Title of Article, 2022, p. 45)	¹ «Article Title,» 45.
No page number	(Smith, par. 3) or (Smith)	(Smith, 2022)	¹ Smith, Title.

End-of-Paper Citation Format

Feature	MLA	APA	Chicago NB
Section title	«Works Cited»	«References»	«Bibliography»
Includes uncited sources?	No	No	Sometimes yes
Order	Alphabetical by author	Alphabetical by author	Alphabetical by author
Indentation	Hanging indent	Hanging indent	Hanging indent

Journal Article: Format Comparison

MLA

Smith, John A. "Memory Consolidation During Sleep in Young Adults." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 34, no. 5, 2022, pp. 912–928.

APA

Smith, J. A. (2022). Memory consolidation during sleep in young adults. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 34(5), 912–928. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01830

Chicago NB (bibliography entry)

Smith, John A. "Memory Consolidation During Sleep in Young Adults." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 34, no. 5 (2022): 912–928. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01830

Book: Format Comparison

Feature	MLA	APA	Chicago NB
Author format	Last, First (first author only)	Last, F. M. (all authors)	Last, First (bibliography); First Last (footnote)
Title case	Title Case, italicized	Sentence case, italicized	Title Case, italicized
Publisher location	Not required (removed in MLA 9)	Not required (removed in APA 7)	Required: City: Publisher
Year position	At end	After author, in parentheses	At end (NB) or after author (AD)

Paper Formatting Rules

Feature	MLA	APA	Chicago/Turabian
Title page	No separate page (info on p. 1)	Yes — required	Yes — required
Abstract	Not standard	Required for most papers	Not standard
Running head	Last name + page (top right)	Only for submitted manuscripts	Not required
Margins	1 inch all sides	1 inch all sides (2.54 cm)	1 inch all sides (Turabian)
Line spacing	Double throughout	Double throughout	Double throughout
Font	12 pt readable font	Times New Roman 12 pt or Calibri 11 pt	Times New Roman 12 pt

How to Identify Which Style You Need

Your situation	Most likely style
English literature, film studies, linguistics course	MLA
Psychology, sociology, education, nursing assignment	APA
History, art history, or philosophy paper	Chicago NB
Economics or some political science courses	Chicago AD or APA
Engineering, computer science report	IEEE
Medical or biomedical research	Vancouver
Colombian university paper (general)	APA or ICONTEC NTC 1486

When your professor specifies a style, follow that. When the assignment doesn’t specify, look at what the leading journals in the field use — or ask before submitting.

For full APA formatting guidance and downloadable templates, see the Normas APA resource center.