How do you structure academic writing in APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago style?

1 APA Style

APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and it is widely used in the social and behavioral sciences. APA style emphasizes the author-date system of in-text citations, which means you need to include the author's surname and the year of publication in parentheses after the relevant information. For example: (Smith, 2020). At the end of your paper, you need to provide a reference list that contains the full details of all the sources you cited, arranged alphabetically by the author's surname. APA style also has specific rules for formatting your paper, such as using a running head, a title page, and headings.

2 MLA Style

MLA stands for the Modern Language Association, and it is commonly used in the humanities, especially in language and literature. MLA style uses the author-page system of in-text citations, which means you need to include the author's surname and the page number where you found the information in parentheses after the relevant information. For example: (Smith 12). At the end of your paper, you need to provide a works cited list that contains the full details of all the sources you cited, arranged alphabetically by the author's surname. MLA style also has specific rules for formatting your paper, such as using a header, a title, and margins.

3 Harvard Style

Harvard style is a generic term for a citation and formatting style that is widely used in many disciplines and institutions. Harvard style is similar to APA style in that it uses the author-date system of in-text citations, but it differs in some details, such as using a comma instead of a period between the author and the year. For example: (Smith, 2020). At the end of your paper, you need to provide a reference list that contains the full details of all the sources you cited, arranged alphabetically by the author's surname. Harvard style also has specific rules for formatting your paper, such as using a title page, an abstract, and headings.

4 Chicago Style

Chicago style is also known as Turabian style, and it is widely used in history and some social sciences. Chicago style offers two options for in-text citations: the notes-bibliography system and the author-date system. The notes-bibliography system uses footnotes or endnotes to provide the source information, and a bibliography at the end of the paper to provide the full details of all the sources. The author-date system uses parentheses to provide the source information, and a reference list at the end of the paper to provide the full details of all the sources. Chicago style also has specific rules for formatting your paper, such as using a title page, a table of contents, and headings.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?