If you are writing your thesis, you will find citation is a complicated thing that you can never avoid. There are so many citation styles, and every organization has different requirements for citation. In this article, you will learn the most commonly used citation styles, and know the easiest way to convert between MLA, APA, and Chicago.
With Anakin AI, you can simply change your citation styles to your desired one using its 'MLA APA Chicago Converter' without any hassle.
The most commonly used citation styles: MLA, APA, Chicago
MLA, APA, and Chicago are widely used citation styles around the world. This article will first give a brief introduction to these styles, and explain how these styles differ from each other.
MLA
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is commonly used in the humanities and liberal arts. MLA citations include a works cited page at the end that lists all sources. In-text citations use the author's last name and page number in parentheses. The formatting includes 1-inch margins, double-spaced text, and a header with the author's last name and page number.
MLA is commonly used in the United States, Canada, and other countries for publications in the literature, languages, philosophy, religion, history, and the arts fields.
APA
APA (American Psychological Association) style is commonly used in the social sciences. APA citations include a reference list at the end alphabetized by authors' last names. In-text citations use the author's last name, publication year, and page number in parentheses. The formatting includes 1-inch margins, double-spaced text, and a title page with the title, author's name, and institution.
APA is commonly used in the United States and other English-speaking countries for publications in the social sciences. Its main fields are psychology, education, sociology, business, economics, nursing, and social work.
Chicago
Chicago style has two different formats: notes/bibliography and author-date. The notes/bibliography format is often used in history. Footnotes or endnotes cite sources with a bibliography at the end. The author-date format resembles APA with in-text citations and a reference list. Chicago style includes 1-inch margins, double-spaced text, and a title page.
Notes and Bibliography (NB)
- Uses footnotes or endnotes to cite sources
- Full bibliography at the end
Author-Date
- Uses in-text citations with author's last name, date, and page number
- Reference list formatted like APA style
Key differences between NB and Author-Date
- The Notes and Bibliography format is more commonly used in history and humanities writing. The Author-Date format is more common in sciences and social sciences.
- NB uses footnotes/endnotes with a full citation and bibliographic details. Author-Date uses brief in-text citations.
- NB bibliography is arranged alphabetically by author last name. Author-Date reference list is arranged alphabetically by year, then author last name.
- NB footnotes give full citations on first mention, shortened citations after. Author-Date repeats the full in-text citation.
- NB uses commas in bibliographic entries (Author, Title, Publisher, Year). Author-Date uses periods (Author. Title. Publisher.).
Chicago is commonly used in the United States for publications in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and also used as a guide for published books and journals in the U.S.Main fields are history, religion, literature, and the arts.
Chicago allows writers to choose between two formats depending on their discipline and preferences - Notes/Bibliography or Author-Date. But the Author-Date format has more similarities to APA style.
Differences between APA, MLA, and Chicago
Here is a table comparing the key differences between APA, MLA, and Chicago style formatting:
| Style | In-Text Citations | Bibliography/References | Formatting |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA | Author's last name, year, and page number in parentheses. Example: (Doe, 2022, p. 123). | Titled "References" at end. Alphabetical by authors' last names. | 1 inch margins. Double spaced. Title page includes title, author name, and affiliation. |
| MLA | Author's last name and page number in parentheses. Example: (Doe 123). | Titled "Works Cited" at end. Alphabetical by authors' last names. | 1 inch margins. Double spaced. Header with author last name and page number. |
| Chicago (Notes & Bib) | Footnote or endnote numbers. Example: 1 | Titled "Bibliography" at end. Alphabetical by authors' last names. | 1 inch margins. Double spaced. Footnotes/endnotes referenced by superscript numbers. |
| Chicago (Author-Date) | Author's last name, year, and page number in parentheses. Example: (Doe 2022, 123). | Titled "References" at end. Alphabetical by authors' last names. | 1 inch margins. Double spaced. |
The key differences are in the in-text citation style, the way the bibliography/references is formatted and ordered, and some of the document formatting like title pages and headers. This summarizes the major distinctions between the three styles.
Examples of APA, MLA, and Chicago
Here are some examples of APA, MLA, and Chicago styles that can help you get a deeper understanding of these citation styles:
MLA
In-text citation: (Rowling 125).
Works Cited: Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Scholastic, 1997.
APA
In-text citation: (Rowling, 1997, p. 125).
References:Rowling, J.K. (1997). Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. Scholastic.
Chicago (Notes and Bibliography)
Footnote: J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Scholastic, 1997), 125.
Bibliography: Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Scholastic, 1997.
Chicago (Author-Date)
In-text citation: (Rowling 1997, 125).
References: Rowling, J.K. 1997. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Scholastic.
In this example, you can see the specific differences in citing the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling in each style - the in-text citations mention the page number, while the bibliographic entries are formatted differently.
How to decide the citation style
The point for deciding the citation style that we use is to follow your instructor's or publisher's preferences. Almost all universities, publishers, or organizations have a required or preferred citation style. For example, If you're writing a paper for a class, use the style your professor requests. When writing for publication, follow the journal's or publisher's guidelines.
If there is no clear requirement for citation style, you can follow the tips below to decide which citation style you'll use.
Use APA for social and behavioral sciences. APA is the standard for psychology, education, sociology, business, and nursing fields.
- Use MLA for humanities and liberal arts. MLA is preferred for literature, languages, philosophy, arts, and other humanities subjects.
- Use Chicago style for history and some humanities. The Chicago Manual of Style is common for history and some humanities, particularly with the Notes/Bibliography format.
- Use APA or Chicago Author-Date for sciences. Both APA and Chicago Author-Date work for citing sources in the physical, natural, and social sciences.
- Consider your audience and field. Citation styles have different conventions based on disciplines. Use the style your readers will understand and expect.
- Check for consistency. Whichever format you use, be consistent and use the same style throughout your document.
- When in doubt, check the official style guide for detailed instructions on formatting, citations, and your reference/bibliography list.
Sometimes, you may submit a paper to multiple publications or journals that require different styles, use your articles in different places, or use the wrong citation style, you will need to convert your citation style to another. Manual rewriting is a very complicated way and will cost a lot of time. So is there any easier way to complete this task?
With the development of AI technology, we can now convert our citation styles using AI tools without any hassle. Excellent AI tool 'Anakin AI' provides us with a powerful Citation styles Converter named 'MLA APA Chicago Converter', so if you want to change your citation styles between MLA, APA, and Chicago, Anakin AI will help you rewrite it in just a few seconds.
Let's see how easy that Anakin AI can change your citation styles:
Step 1. Launch the Anakin App or access to Anakin Web, easily search and find the "MLA APA Chicago Converter" from the "Discover" tab in the left side.
Step 2. Choose your sourse and target style, and input your original citation text or references here.
Step 3. Click the "Generate" button to change your citation style to the one you desire.
That's all you should do to change the citation styles with Anakin AI, it's very easy to use and will help you save a lot of time and effort.
Conclusion
In summary, the three most commonly used citation styles in academia and publishing are MLA, APA, and Chicago. While they have some key differences, the main point is to follow instructor or publisher guidelines and be consistent. Thankfully, with AI tools like Anakin's revolutionary MLA APA Chicago Converter, converting between citation styles is now quick and easy.
Anakin's citation converter stands out for its convenience, accuracy, and speed. In just a few clicks, it can rewrite your citations and references list into a new format. The AI understands the nuanced differences between styles and can flawlessly change in-text citations, bibliography order, punctuation, and all formatting details. This saves writers and researchers enormous time and effort compared to manually changing citations.