APA and MLA Format for Academic, Research and Term Papers

By Joan Whetzel

When writing a term paper or essay, always follow the formatting requested by the instructor. When an instructor asks for either American Psychological Association (APA) or Modern Language Association (MLA) use these general guidelines to help write the paper. While researching this paper, I realized that my MLA and APA books are a bit dated, so I went online to get the updated versions of the information to be certain the instructions were correct.

For those who don’t have an APA or MLA manual, and who have a lot of papers to write, it is worth the purchase price to obtain one of these valuable books. For those who already have a copy, check the publication dates. Any books 5 or more years old may have outdated information. So either go online to get updated information, or invest in a new, updated copy.

Note: In academic settings (high school, college, academic publishing), APA format is used for social sciences (psychology, sociology, anthropology, and business) and MLA format is used for the humanities (English, history, literature, philosophy, religion, performing and visual arts).

Materials & Typeface

For both MLA format and APA format,  use 8.5″ x 11″ white paper. Type all papers with Times New Roman typeface, 12-point font, for the entire text –  unless otherwise instructed by the instructor. Both formats require double-spacing throughout the entire document.

MLA format suggests securing papers with paper clips, not stapes or binders. APA requires Ariel or Sans Serif typeface when typing in titles and captions for tables and figures.

Title Page and Identification

No title pages are required for MLA Format. To identify a paper with a particular student or writer, The first page of the document is formatted as follows, double-spaced at the top of the page:

Title (flush left) and Page number (flush right)

Authrot’s Name

Instructor’s Name

Course Name and Number

For all other pages, follow the pagination instructions listed below. Double-space after this information and begin the text of the paper.

For APA format the title page begins with a shortened version of the title and the page number (Page 1) at the top of the page, flush right. The rest of the information is centered on the page and double-spaced.

Full Title

Author’s Name

Class and Course Number

Institutional Affiliation

Instructor’s Name

Date

Margins, Spacing, and Indentation

Both APA and MLA formats suggest 1 inch margins all around, though MLA allows up to 1.5 inches. However, it’s always best to verify this with the instructor. Both formats require indentations of 1/2 inch (approximately 5 spaces).

MLA format for quotations longer than4 typed lines of prose or three lines of poetry requires the entry be indented 10 spaces for all lines, and double-spaced. APA format calls for all quotations longer than 40 words be indented 5 spaces for all lines, and double spaced.

Pagination and Short Title

MLA format calls for the author’s last name followed by the page number — Page 2 — be typed, flush right, at the top of the page. Pages should be numbered consecutively. The shortened title and page number used on the APA format title page becomes the page header for pagination throughout the paper. It is always flush right with pages numbered consecutively.

Punctuation & Typing

Both MLA and APA require one space after words, commas, colons, semicolons, periods, question marks and between dots in ellipses. To form a dash, type two hyphens with a space before and after the dash. Use no spaces before or after a hyphen which glues two words together.

Abstracts (APA only)

The abstract page is required only for APA formatted papers. The abstract page begins with the page header (shortened title and page number — Page 2), a double space then the word “Abstract” centered on the line, followed by a 75 to 100 word summarization of the term paper, essay or research paper which includes the main idea, key points, and hints at the implications or the applications of the research.

Headings

Section headings enhance a paper’s readability as well as making it easier for readers to locate the paper’s key points and follow the development of the writer’s thoughts.  For MLA format, after dividing the essay into sections, number and title each section using title case (capitalizing main words with all other words in lower case.  Headings are indented five spaces APA format requires that main headings be centered in title case and subheadings be flush left in title case.

Visuals

Visuals for both Styles take visuals to include tables and figures. Figures are graphs, charts, maps, drawings, and photographs. The information in these tables and figures is usually material directly related to the material in the text but would make the paper too hard to follow if it were included in the text.

MLA  requires tables to be labeled with Arabic numbers (Table 1)  with a caption that identifies the table’s subject matter. The captions are typed in above the table. Figures are labeled Figure 1 or Fig. 1 underneath the figure along with the caption. Tables and figures are placed within the text of professional papers and after the text for student  or academic papers.

For APA  papers, Tables are created on separate pages and placed after the references page. Figures are also placed on separate pages and placed after the Tables pages. Appendices are placed on separate pages and placed after the Figures pages. Titles are created the same as for Tables and Figures in MLA style (except for the Ariel or Sans Serif typeface).

Order of Pages and Documentation

Before turning the essay, term paper, or research paper in, be sure the pages are placed in order and includes a references section (bibliography) for any paper written using research from secondary sources. Write the bibliography and any citations using the citation sections from the MLA or APA style manuals. The order of pages is as follows: Title Page, Abstract (APA only), Beginning Page of the Text, References (Bibliography, List of Works Cited), Tables, Figures, Appendices.

Bibliography

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Downloaded 1/26/2012. Downloaded 1/26/2012.  Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Fifth Edition.  New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1999.

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference, Third Edition. Boston: Bedford Books, 1995.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Fifth Edition. Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.

Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth Angeli. “MLA Formatting and Style Guide.” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 July 2010.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/