APA-CMS-MLA Royal Rumble
Really, there’s a third style to worry about? Yep. APA and MLA have a fellow punk causing you to have nightmares about margins and
its name is CMS (Chicago Manual of Style). They each provide guidelines for more than just how to format a reference page. The
manuscript formats for the APA, MLA, and CMS include guidelines for the entire paper, including cover pages, margins, and aspects
that you may not have realized were costing you precious points. To help you apply the guidelines to your paper:
 First, determine which is expected for the assignment.
 Then, think about the association.
o Each discipline influences aspects of the manuscript format, including in-text citations and reference pages.
 APA has a strong focus on research because of the discipline (psychology, education, and some sciences.
 CMS has a strong focus on research because of the discipline (focus in history and some humanities).
 MLA has a strong focus on the words and meaning because of the discipline.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of many of the manuscript features. They have more in common than you would think.
Trait
Font
Title Page
Page Numbers
APA
Times New Roman
Top of page – Running head:
Full Title
Center of page – Full title of
paper, your name, school’s
name
Upper right corner
Running Head
Upper left, abbreviated title
Margins
Line Spacing
Paragraph Indents
1’’ on all sides
Double-space
Indent first line of each
paragraph
All words of four letters or
more in titles and headings
Capitalization
Italics
Quotation Marks
Long Quotations
URLs
Titles of books, periodicals,
and other long works
Short works
40+ words, indent ½’’ and
double space
Use DOI (Digital Object
Identifier) when available.
At the end of a line, only
break after a double slash or
before any punctuation
CMS
Times New Roman
Title of paper, writer’s name,
title of course, instructor’s
name, and date, centered
MLA
Times New Roman
Not required
Upper right corner, count
cover page but do not
number it. First page of text
will be numbered 2.
Not required
Last Name 1, upper right
corner
1’’ on all sides
Double-space
Indent first line of each
paragraph
All words in titles except
articles, prepositions, &
coordinating conjunctions,
and to or as unless the word
is the first or last of the title,
and lowercase the first word
after a colon
Titles of books, periodicals,
and other long works
Short works
Double space and indent
one-half inch from the left
margin for quotes of 5-10+
lines, do not use quotation
marks
At the end of a line, only
break after a double slash or
colon. Turn off hyperlink.
Last Name 1, upper right
corner
1’’ on all sides
Double-space
Indent first line of each
paragraph
All words in titles except
articles, prepositions, &
coordinating conjunctions
Titles of books, periodicals,
and other long works
Short works
4+ lines, indent 1’’ and
double space
At the end of a line, only
break after a slash
Footnotes
Bottom of page, indented
1
½’’, double-spaced, Footnote
Abstract
Immediately after title page;
100-150 word paragraph
giving an overview of the
essay
Centered and boldface.
Capitalize all words except
articles, short prepositions,
and coordinating
conjunctions
Label tables as “Table 1”
with a clear title on a separate
line.
Place a label and caption
below figures.
Headings
Visuals
Below are guidelines
specific to the sources
References, Bibliography,
or Works Cited?
Alphabetized?
References
Indenting-to hang or not to
hang
Line Spacing
Names or Initials?
Capitalization in titles?
Abbreviation of page(s)?
By last name of author or
editor
Hanging indent; all lines
following first line indent ½’’
Double space
Initials of first names
Only first word of title and
subtitle of books and articles;
capitalize periodicals
normally
Pages = p. and pages = pp.
Endnotes-new page at end of
paper titles “Notes”, indent
first line of each note and
begin with Arabic numeral
“1.”, do not indent additional
lines of each note, singlespace each note and doublespace between notes
Not required
Bottom of page, indented
1
½’’, double-spaced, Footnote
Check with professor, if used,
center above the beginning of
each section
Check with professor
Label tables as “Table 1”
with a clear title on a separate
line above the table, flush left
and double-spaced. Give the
source in a note below the
table: Source: Author Name,
Title of Source (Publisher,
Year of Print), page number.
whether called References,
Bibliography
Label tables as “Table 1” and
figures as “Fig. 1”
By last name of author or
editor
Hanging indent; all lines
following first line indent ½’’
Single space within entries,
double space between entries
Names
All words except articles,
prepositions, & coordinating
conjunctions
By last name of author or
editor
Hanging indent; all lines
following first line indent ½’’
Double space
Page numbers
Page numbers
Not required
Works Cited, or Bibliography!
Works Cited
Names
All words except articles,
prepositions, & coordinating
conjunctions
For details about each trait of the manuscript, refer to your favorite writer’s reference book (or schedule an
appointment at the Writing Lab!).
Hacker, (Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Writer’s Reference. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print)
Rider University Student Success Center Writing Lab