Here’s the Guide to Differences Between Harvard, APA, or MLA Referencing Styles

Students who are in their colleges and universities understand how important it is to write their thesis reports or research papers under proper and accurate references, which makes writing assignments tough and time-consuming. Because of these college student hassles, young individuals pursue help from academic writing websites all over the world, likewise cheap assignment writing services UK and thesis assignment help UAE. Referencing becomes obligatory when you are writing research papers. In the same way, in academics, people follow several referencing writing styles. On that account, we are here to elaborate top 3 styles which are followed by professional scholars and academic writers as they also suggest the students to use these easy styles.

American Psychological Association (APA)

APA is an old school style generated during 1926, which was commonly used in American newspaper journals. First, the journals with this style were written under 7 to 8 pages, but after a decade, in 1944, newspaper editors maximised the range of those journals upto 32 pages. Since 1950 this style has been known as the American Psychological Association. 

This formatting style can be identified by the last name of the author, along with the date line. Moreover, APA referencing is used by the students for their essays and thesis in a clear and understood way. If you are up to writing about healthcare, nursing or social work, then this uniform formal style can be in use, as it improves the mechanisms of new and inspiring academic college-level students. 

Harvard Referencing Style

Harvard style of referencing is used in academia for simple note pages. Likewise, widely known by several related names. For instance, Harvard university style, author paged referencing and Parenthetical style of referencing. 

Alike APA style, this method shows the name of the author with the page number. For example, whenever academic students will add up a quote to their assignment writings, they will add the name along with the page number right after the quote if they are up to following this author-year system. Harvard referencing consists of two major elements, and one is providing full detailed references and in-text citations. Alike APA, this style is the most commonly used style, which indicates someone else’s used quotes.

Modern Language Association (MLA)

Many scholars and noted universities consider the style of referencing as new and fresh. Therefore, being the present-day or modern way of styling in academics, most writers are not following this referencing yet. Even though the way of academic documentation has several additions, numerous publishers, writers, and scholars are turning to digital ways of publication.

Modern Language Association style has mostly been used for writing the paper of communication classes, English researched papers and comprehensions. Moreover, this style helps the students to add their own ideas as well without adopting only the given method by their instructor and the source of the material.

Differentiation Between Harvard, APA, and MLA

Domain

Every referencing style has a domain regarding which departments they are used in. Likewise, in modern times we have various fields, and every style works in particular respected areas. Therefore, you can effortlessly recognise the references through their domains. Hence, Harvard is used in humanitarian and natural sciences fields. Including 

• Nutrition
• Human resources
• Biochemistry
• Earth Sciences

APA is used in the departments of social sciences, likewise in Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Geography. On the other hand, the MLA style follows the areas of Art and Humanitarians. 

In-Text Citations

There is also a way that you can describe the referencing style by looking at the mentions of the author. APA and Harvard have the same parenthetical style of suggesting the surname of the author. Moreover, both styles also involve the exact year of the publications. Therefore, these both are also known as the author-year systems in academic writings.

However, in MLA, referencing the page number appears along with the name of one or many authors. In the styles, the names of the authors are mandatory, and it doesn’t matter if the author is one or many. However, the way of presenting the name of the authors can be different.

Reference of Author 

Harvard and APA follow the same way of just giving the surname of the respected authors because these styles are used for simple letter writing, thesis paper and dissertation writings in academics. Hence, in MLA formatting, writers give the first full name and last name in their academic papers and references.

Capitalisation of the Titles & Subtitles 

Nouns, titles and subtitles are used in the uppercase positions in APA stilling, and Harvard often follows the same pattern. While in MLA referencing keywords in the title source have the main importance. Therefore, the keywords are added in the uppercase position.

Source Page 

As we already told you, MLA refers to the full name of the author, and APA has the surname method. In the same way, these styles have different ways of writing the source page. Harvard has the style of “In Contrast” way while referencing the author's name. APA uses “Reference” in the process, and MLA follows “Reference List and Works Cited”.

Overall References

Harvard

This way is an accidental framework and organised references into the body of the article, which records the family last name of the creator along with “reference” data. Thus, APA also has the same way of design and organising. 

APA 

Another accidental framework and organised references into the body of the intended article or paper with the given name of the creator. This style often records the date of distribution, the title of the book, the writer’s family name and the first introduction of the writer and distribution.

MLA 

In this referencing, the authorised references are records with the lengths and if there are two writers who have written your highlighted work. Then, you will give the referred record names of those both books published by the writers. Hence, MLA also shows records distributions, the full name of the author’s family name and the introduction. 

To Wrap It Up

Along with these styles, there are various referencing ways students use, such as the Modern Humanities Research Association system and Chicago/Turabian style. However, students find it easy to use MLA, Harvard and APA styles because they show clear and authentic meaning along with better records of reference lists.