Differences Between APA, Harvard and MLA

• Written by Amelia Chea

• Published on 04/22/2026

Starting as young as middle school, students are told to cite their sources. They are taught how to create a bibliography or reference list and utilize in-text citations, and perhaps thought nothing more of it. 

Years later, the student is assigned a paper in university or is preparing to submit their work to a publication. They’ve done their research, written the paper, but now a daunting task remains. They are asked to use a citation style they are not familiar with. This confuses them. What is it? How do they use it? Why does it matter?

Don’t let that be you. Here are the basic differences between APA, Harvard, and MLA. 

Subject area

The field of study can be a good indication of which citation style is used. 

The APA (American Psychological Association) citation style is often used for scholarly writing in the fields of psychology, business, communications, nursing, engineering, and other sciences. The 7th edition, published 2019, is the latest edition of the APA manual.

Harvard Referencing Style is most commonly used in UK universities for a broad range of subjects from humanities to social and behavioral science. Depending on the subject area or university, formatting rules may vary. There is no single, authoritative style manual. However, there are common practices. 

MLA (Modern Language Association) is used for subject areas such as language arts, cultural studies, arts and humanities, and similar fields. The most recent edition, published in 2021, is the 9th edition. 

Paper formatting 

The formatting of the paper itself varies between the styles. MLA paper typically calls for Times New Roman, 12pt font, and double spaced text, with page numbers and headers formatted in a particular way. 

APA paper formatting follows a structure that includes a title page followed by an abstract before the main body.

Author-Date vs. Author-Page

Both APA and Harvard referencing emphasizes the author(s) and publication date. When applicable, page number should be included if something is directly quoted or paraphrased.

In-text citation example for APA style

It could be said that the statement, “artifact-rich countries often have limited resources to monitor potential looting sites” (Kremer & Wilkening, 2025, p. 128) is a biased insinuation.

*Note that if the quote spans over one page use “pp.” then the pages in xx-xx format.

APA reference example

Citation

Kremer, M., & Wilkening, T. (2025). Protecting antiquities: A role for long-term leases? The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 39(3), 127–148. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27397160

In-text citation example for Harvard referencing

Kremer and Wilkening (2025) argue that leases are the answer to protecting antiquities while creating income for the source country.

Harvard reference example

Citation

Kremer, M. and Wilkening, T. (2025) ‘Protecting antiquities: A role for long-term leases?’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 39(3), pp. 127-148. doi: 10.1257/jep.20241416.

This greatly differs from MLA, which follows an author-page format. 

In-text citation example for MLA

There are many complex situations to take into consideration such as providing incentives to private individuals so they will “make information public rather than to deal with smugglers” (Kremer and Wilkening 140-141).

MLA works cited example

Citation

Kremer, Michael, and Tom Wilkening. “Protecting Antiquities: A Role for Long-Term Leases?” The Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 39, no. 3, 2025, pp. 127–48. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27397160.

Reference List, Bibliography, or Works Cited.

• Publications that use APA often require a reference list, but not bibliographies. The same is generally true for Harvard referencing. 
• MLA sources are compiled into a Works Cited list at the end which is exclusive to MLA, but bears similarities to a reference list. Both are alphabetized by author(s) last name and formatted using a hanging indent.
• A common misconception is that a reference list or works cited page and bibliographies are interchangeable. They are not. 
• A reference list includes all the sources that are cited in the paper, while a bibliography includes cited works and any research or background reading. An annotated bibliography includes a short summary and/or evaluation of the source. You may be asked to provide only a reference list or works cited, or potentially include a bibliography as well.
• It is always important to carefully read the publication requirements, class syllabus, or assignment instructions for specific details.