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4.4: MLA and APA

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    Citation Styles

    There are multiple citation styles to pick from when you write a paper. Courses at CCC generally use one of two different citation styles: MLA and APA.

    • MLA means Modern Language Association.
    • APA means American Psychological Association.

    These are the two professional groups whose citation rules we use at Clackamas Community College. (There are multiple citation styles used at other colleges and universities; CCC sticks with these two.)

    Citations that conform to guidelines from organizations like the MLA and APA are formal citations. MLA 9th edition citation style, and APA 7th edition citation style require that you follow very specific formatting rules when creating citations.

    The style you use will be determined by the subject of your course. MLA is the right choice for arts and humanities courses, like English. APA is the right choice for social science or science courses, like Psychology. In college, formally citing a source means including two parts of a citation - a short in-text citation, and a more complete Works Cited (MLA) or References (APA) citation.

    You get to decided which citation style you want to work with in this class. To help make your choice, consider what kinds of classes you intend to take in the future.

    Citation style choices
    MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition
    Generally, the humanities lean towards MLA (English, Fine Arts, History). Check with your instructor.

    Image of the MLA handbook cover

    Image credit: Modern Language Association

    		 Generally, the sciences lean towards APA (Psychology, Business, Nursing, Education, Criminal Justice). Check with your instructor.

    Image of the APA Publication Manual cover

    Image credit: American Psychological Association

    MLA vs. APA

    Below are two different resource types (a peer-reviewed article and an eBook), and their two corresponding MLA and APA citations. Can you spot differences? Can you tell what elements of information make up each citation?

    Source 1: Peer-reviewed article (from CCC Library)
    Influence of Manatees’ Diving on Their Risk of Collision with Watercraft(opens in new window)

    Peer-reviewed article citation examples \(\PageIndex{1}\)
    MLA 9th Edition

    Edwards, Holly H., et al. "Influence of Manatees’ Diving on Their Risk of Collision with Watercraft." PLoS ONE, vol. 11, no. 4, Apr. 2016, pp. 1–15. Academic

    Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151450.

    APA 7th Edition

    Edwards, H. H., Martin, J., Deutsch, C. J., Muller, R. G., Koslovsky, S. M., Smith, A. J., & Barlas, M. E. (2016). Influence of manatees’ diving on their risk of

    collision with watercraft. PLoS ONE, 11(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151450(opens in new window)

    Source 2: eBook (electronic book from CCC Library)
    Dungeon & Dragons and Philosophy: Read and Gain Advantage on all Wisdom Checks(opens in new window)

    eBook citation examples \(\PageIndex{2}\)
    MLA 9th Edition

    Robichaud, Christopher. Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy: Read and Gain Advantage on all Wisdom Checks. Wiley Blackwell, 2014. ProQuest Ebook

    Central, ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/clackamas/detail.action?docID=1730036.

    APA 7th Edition

    Robichaud, C. (2014). Dungeons and dragons and philosophy: Read and gain advantage on all wisdom checks. Wiley Blackwell.

    4.4: MLA and APA is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Clackamas Community College Library.