MLA style is designated for written communication in the humanities, such as English and writing courses. APA is used for written communication in the social and behavioral sciences, such as psychology. Formatting and documentation requirements also differ. In APA style, a title page is required with essays and experimental reports. However, MLA style requires no title page. MLA calls for a works cited page to document sources used, while APA calls for a references list. Both lists are recorded alphabetically, but that is their only similarity.
Font type is the main difference between APA and Chicago styles. Chicago style allows plain serif and sans-serif fonts such as Arial and Helvetica, while APA style requires the standard Times New Roman font. Also, papers in APA style are double-spaced throughout, including an empty space between paragraphs, but Chicago style requires no empty space between paragraphs. APA uses in-text citations to cite sources, but Chicago prefers bibliographic notes -- either footnotes or endnotes.
APA style uses the author-date method for basic in-text citations, as opposed to MLA style's author-page method. Record the author's last name and the publication year: (Smith, 1999). List the complete source information in the references list. APA style for the references list also differs from other styles like MLA, because only the first word of the entry is capitalized.
Experimental reports that require you to explore an hypothesis are typical assignments in the social sciences. These reports must include a basic set of elements that help you prove or disprove an hypothesis. An abstract precedes the experiment's introduction. The layout, collected data and analyzed data are included in the methods, results and discussion sections. A references section is also included. Often an appendix that contains field notes and calculations is also included.