APA format (American Psychological Association format) and MLA format (Modern Language Association format) are two widely used citation and reference formats in academic writing. They have their own specific standards and requirements, which can help authors to cite and reference literature more regularly and accurately in their writing to ensure the credibility and rigour of their articles.
The APA format requires that each citation needs to be clearly labelled within the text, i.e., using Arabic numerals in sequential order. Also, each cited sentence should end with a full stop. In addition.
each citation also needs to include the following elements: author’s name, article title, publication date, and page number. All citations should appear in full at the end of the article.
The requirements for MLA format are somewhat similar to APA format, but there are some unique features.
For example, MLA format does not require a full stop for a citation; instead, it uses a semicolon comma to mark the end of a citation. The author information for a citation needs to include the publisher and date of publication in addition to the author’s name.MLA format also requires that each citation be clearly labelled within the body of the text and that a citation that appears in the last paragraph should be placed in the last sentence of the last paragraph.
Whether using APA or MLA format, care needs to be taken with the accuracy and completeness of citations to ensure the quality and credibility of the paper.
The format of the APA (American Psychological Association) research paper is important, and many papers in the fields of psychology and social sciences are written in this format.
Below I am going to talk about the formatting requirements for an APA research paper.
This includes endnotes/footnotes, body text, and how to cite on the reference page.
APA also gives general guidelines for writing academic papers.
Papers should be on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper with 1″ margins on all four sides of each page.
It is recommended to use a font that is high contrast, clear and easy to read, such as APA’s recommended size 12, Times New Roman.
A page title should be set at the top of each page, created with the page number inserted to the right, and then the title of the paper typed in capital letters.
The title section is an abbreviation of the paper’s title and cannot exceed 50 characters, including line spacing and punctuation.
Writing an APA paper should include four sections:
Title Page, Abstract, Body, and References.
When citing a research paper in APA, there are certain rules that need to be followed in order to be accurate.
Here is the format to follow when citing books, magazines, news and web pages.
Book: author, (year of publication), title, city and state of publisher, and publisher.
Example: Finney, J. (1970). Time and again. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Journal: author, year of publication, month of publication in journal, title of article, name of journal, volume (number of issues), page range.
For example: Tumulty, K. (2006, April). Should they stay or should they go? Time, 167(15), 3-40.
News: author, year of publication, month and date of news release, title of article, name of magazine, and page to page where the article is located.
For example: Rosenberg, G. (1997, March 31). An electronic discovery proves an effective legal weapon.The New York Times, p. D5.
Web page: Provides information about the author, year of publication, title of the article, and a website where the article can be downloaded.
For example, Simmons, B. (2015, January 9). The tale of two Flaccos. retrieved from {link}.
These citation formats are mainly used for labelling relevant literature and then mentioning in passing which literature is cited. So, you don’t need to quote about yourself or your own opinions or anything like that. For example, when writing a CV, you don’t need to cite any literature. However, while writing other academic works, it is better for you to study the format and research of various citations.
MLA Research Paper Format
MLA (Modern Language Association) format is usually used in the liberal arts and humanities. Let’s talk about how to write a research paper in MLA format. This format has its own principles rather than specific rules.MLA format papers are like a documentation process.
MLA recommends using Times New Roman font in size 12.
The entire paper should be double spaced with 1 inch margins all around.
Indent the first line of each paragraph of the essay 1⁄2 inch.
The last name and page number should be placed in the top right corner of the first page.
The following is the format to follow when citing an MLA format research paper:
1. book: author’s last name, first name, title of book, city of publisher, name of publisher, and year of publication. If it is a print medium, the media type should also be provided.
Example: John Smith’s “The Sample Book” was published in 2008 by BibMe Publishing in Pittsburgh.
2. Journal: author’s name, full name (last name, first name), title of article, journal name, date of publication, page numbers (including start and end pages), and the medium in which the article was printed.
For example: John Smith’s “Obama inaugurated as President” was published in the January 21, 2009 issue of Time magazine, pp. 21-23.
3. News: Please provide the author’s last name, first name, title of article, name of newspaper, date of publication, and page number. The medium is print.
Example: John Smith’s “Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII” was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on February 2, 2009, pp. 4-6.
4. web page: author’s last name, first name, page title, website name, sponsoring organisation/publisher, date of publication, page number, medium is web.
Example: John Smith’s “Obama inaugurated as President” was published on the CNN.com website on January 21, 2009, sponsored by the Cable News Network.
This article describes the formatting requirements for APA and MLA research papers, including how to cite the body and reference pages.
APA format consists of four sections: title page, abstract, body, and references
MLA format focuses on the documentation process, using 12-point Times New Roman font and indenting the first line of each paragraph by1⁄2 inch. Citing books, magazines, news, and web pages should follow a certain format.
