APA vs MLA for a thesis: differences, contexts of use and how to choose
APA or MLA? This is one of the first questions that master’s and doctoral students have to settle. These two styles are not interchangeable: they were designed for different disciplines, with different philosophies. Understanding why they exist and what they prioritize will help you make the right choice and apply it consistently.
For the reference examples and concrete formatting rules in each style, read our reference guide: APA and MLA format, quick reference guide.
Why several citation styles exist
Citation styles were not invented to complicate students’ lives. They were developed by disciplinary associations to standardize the way sources are referenced according to the priorities of their field:
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APA (American Psychological Association) places the emphasis on the publication date. In the social sciences and health sciences, the timeliness of a piece of research matters enormously: a 2005 study on a medical treatment is less relevant than a 2023 study. The author-date format immediately signals to the reader how old a source is.
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MLA (Modern Language Association) places the emphasis on the page number. In letters, literary studies and the arts, the exact location of a passage in a text is crucial. The precise wording of a sentence or a paragraph is at the heart of the analysis. The author-page format lets the reader immediately find the quoted passage.
This disciplinary logic, and not an arbitrary convention, is the key to understanding which style to choose.
Comparison table
| Criterion | APA (7th ed.) | MLA (9th ed.) |
|---|---|---|
| Founding organization | American Psychological Association | Modern Language Association |
| Typical disciplines | Social sciences, psychology, education, health, administration | Literature, languages, arts, humanities, philosophy |
| In-text citation | Author-date: (Dupont, 2020) | Author-page: (Dupont 45) |
| Name of the reference list | ”References" | "Works Cited” |
| Order of the list | Alphabetical by author | Alphabetical by author |
| Priority information | When? (the date) | Where? (the page) |
| DOI / URL | DOI mandatory if available | URL optional but recommended |
| Use in Quebec | Dominant in the social sciences and education | Common in letters and the arts |
When to use APA
APA is the right choice if:
- You are in the social sciences: sociology, anthropology, political science, social work, communication
- You are in psychology (clinical, cognitive, organizational, developmental)
- You are in the education sciences, where it is the almost universal style in this field in Quebec
- You are in the management and administration sciences
- You are in the health sciences: nursing, physiotherapy, clinical psychology, public health
- Your master’s or doctoral program in Quebec is in one of these disciplines
Why APA works well in these fields: research evolves quickly. A reader who sees “(Dupont, 2003)” in a 2024 text immediately knows that this reference is 21 years old, which can be relevant for assessing how solid the argument is.
Key APA points to remember
- In-text citations: always the year, with or without a page number
- Three authors or more: et al. from the first citation
- The list is titled “References” (not “Bibliography”)
- DOIs are mandatory when available
When to use MLA
MLA is the right choice if:
- You are in literature: French, comparative, English-language, Francophone, Quebec
- You are in cultural studies or media studies
- You are in languages and applied linguistics
- You are in the arts: art history, film studies, theatre studies
- You are in philosophy, although Chicago is also common in this field
Why MLA works well in these fields: in letters, what matters is where exactly in a text an idea or a wording appears. The direct quotation of a passage from Proust on page 342 must be immediately verifiable. The publication date of the edition used matters less than its pagination.
Key MLA points to remember
- In-text citations: the page number only (no year, no “p.”)
- No comma between the author’s name and the page number: (Dupont 45), not (Dupont, 45)
- The list is titled “Works Cited”
- Article titles in quotation marks; book and journal titles in italics
Chicago and the other common styles
If neither APA nor MLA matches your discipline, you may also encounter:
Chicago / Turabian: the reference style in history, philosophy and theology. It offers two variants: the Notes-Bibliography system (numbered footnotes + bibliography at the end of the document) and the Author-Date system (similar to APA). History theses in Quebec almost always use the Notes-Bibliography system.
Vancouver: the standard in the health sciences and medicine. Sources are cited by superscript numbers in the text and listed in order of appearance (not in alphabetical order).
IEEE: the standard in electrical engineering, computer science and telecommunications. Numbers in brackets [1] in the text.
McGill Guide: for theses in Canadian law. A system specific to legal sources (legislation, case law, doctrine).
My university does not specify the style, what should I do?
If your program guidelines stay silent on the citation style, here is how to proceed, in order:
1. Ask your research supervisor. They usually have an established disciplinary preference and know the department’s expectations. This is the most reliable answer.
2. Look at recent theses in your program. Go to your university’s institutional repository (Papyrus at UdeM, Archipel at UQAM, Archimède at Laval, ProQuest for English-language universities) and look at the last five theses in your field. The style used by the majority is your answer.
3. Apply the standard disciplinary style. In the absence of other information:
- Social sciences, education, psychology, administration → APA 7th
- Literature, languages, arts → MLA 9th
- History, philosophy → Chicago 17th (Notes-Bibliography)
- Health sciences, medicine → Vancouver
- Engineering, computer science → IEEE
4. Document your choice. Mention the chosen style in your methodological preamble (one sentence is enough). This informs the committee and avoids any ambiguity.
The absolute rule: consistency
Whatever style you choose, consistency is just as important as the style itself. A committee that spots references in APA in the text and bibliographic entries in Chicago in the reference list will conclude there is a lack of rigour, even if each entry taken separately is correct.
Use Zotero to automate the management of your references and avoid consistency errors. Choose your style in Zotero once and let the software generate all your citations and your reference list.
Uniformat for overall compliance
The bibliography is only one aspect of your thesis’s compliance. Margins, fonts, spacing, page numbering, heading styles: your university has requirements on every detail. Uniformat automatically checks all of these standards and corrects your document before submission, whether you work in Word or in LaTeX.
In summary
| Your field | Recommended style |
|---|---|
| Social sciences, education, psychology, administration | APA 7th |
| Literature, languages, arts, cultural studies | MLA 9th |
| History, philosophy, theology | Chicago 17th (N-B) |
| Health sciences, medicine | Vancouver |
| Engineering, computer science | IEEE |
| Canadian law | McGill Guide |
Choose your style early, set it up in Zotero from the start of your research, and apply it without exception throughout your document.
For concrete examples of citations and references in each style, read our quick reference guide at uniformat.ca.