Which citation style should you use, and how do they differ? A plain side-by-side comparison of APA 7th, MLA 9th, and IEEE — with links to each official style source.
The right style depends on your discipline and what your instructor or journal requires:
| Style | Typical fields | Edition / system |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Social sciences, education, business, nursing | 7th edition; author-date |
| MLA | Humanities — literature, languages, philosophy, arts | 9th edition; author-page |
| IEEE | Engineering, computer science, technical fields | Numbered citations |
Always follow your instructor's or journal's required style first — these are the common defaults.
This is the most visible difference between the three styles:
| Style | In-text citation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Author and year in parentheses | (Smith, 2020) |
| MLA 9th | Author and page in parentheses | (Smith 23) |
| IEEE | Number in square brackets, by order of appearance | [1] |
| Style | List name | Order | Indent |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | References | Alphabetical by author | Hanging indent |
| MLA 9th | Works Cited | Alphabetical by author | Hanging indent |
| IEEE | References | Numbered by citation order | Hanging indent |
| Element | APA 7th | MLA 9th | IEEE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical field | Social sciences | Humanities | Engineering |
| In-text | (Author, Year) | (Author Page) | [n] |
| Reference list | References | Works Cited | References |
| List order | Alphabetical | Alphabetical | By citation |
PaperFormat Pro checks your Microsoft Word .docx against APA 7th, MLA 9th, or IEEE presets — entirely offline, so your document never leaves your computer. It can also check against your own university's template. The free trial scans any document and applies your first fix for free. Get it from the Download page.
Read the full guides: APA 7th · MLA 9th · IEEE. Try the engine on the Download page.
It depends on your discipline — APA for social sciences, MLA for humanities, IEEE for engineering and technical fields. Always follow your instructor or journal's requirement.
APA and MLA name the author in the text (author-date and author-page); IEEE uses numbered citations in brackets with a numbered reference list in order of appearance.
Yes. PaperFormat Pro supports APA 7th, MLA 9th, and IEEE presets, plus your own university template, all offline.
All three use a hanging indent on the reference list, double-spacing, and 1-inch margins as a baseline — but their citation mechanics and reference ordering differ.
This comparison summarizes APA, MLA, and IEEE styles. For the complete, authoritative rules, consult each style's official source (all links verified live):
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