APA to MLA Converter — Free
Convert APA 7 citations to MLA 9. Author-date to author-page, Reference List to Works Cited, format rules that differ, and a worked example.
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The full converter lives at /tools/citation-converter with this pair pre-selected. It supports bulk input and 14+ other style pairs.
Why APA 7th Edition → MLA 9th Edition isn’t just a reformat
APA and MLA are the two most common humanities/social-science citation styles. Switching between them isn't just a cosmetic reformat — the philosophies diverge in several subtle ways that affect what information you need on hand and how you present it.
APA is author-date: in-text citations point to the year, emphasising the recency of evidence. MLA is author-page: in-text citations point to the specific page, emphasising the reader's ability to find the cited passage. That single difference cascades into reference-list formatting, quotation integration, and how you handle multi-author works.
If you're converting a paper from APA to MLA (or vice-versa), the most common mistakes are forgetting to change in-text citation format, leaving 'Reference List' as the heading instead of 'Works Cited', and preserving APA's `&` where MLA requires `and` between authors.
Key differences
- In-text format: APA `(Smith, 2024)` → MLA `(Smith 42)` (page number, no comma)
- Bibliography heading: `References` → `Works Cited`
- Author separator: `&` → `and`
- Title case: APA uses sentence case for article titles; MLA uses title case
- Date placement: APA `(2024)` immediately after author; MLA year moves to end of entry
- DOIs: both use full `https://doi.org/...` form; no structural change
Worked example
APA 7th Edition (input)
Smith, J., & Jones, A. (2024). The role of spaced repetition in long-term retention. *Journal of Educational Psychology*, 116(3), 234–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000999
MLA 9th Edition (output)
Smith, John, and Alex Jones. "The Role of Spaced Repetition in Long-Term Retention." *Journal of Educational Psychology*, vol. 116, no. 3, 2024, pp. 234–251, https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000999.
Note the capitalised title, full author first names, and comma before `vol.` — MLA expects the more verbose form.
Related converters
- MLA to APA converter — Convert MLA 9 citations to APA 7.
- APA to Chicago converter — Convert APA 7 citations to Chicago 17 Notes-Bibliography.
- Harvard to APA converter — Convert Harvard citations to APA 7.
- BibTeX to APA converter — Convert a BibTeX `@article` or `@book` entry to an APA 7 reference.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the biggest difference between APA 7th Edition and MLA 9th Edition?
- In-text format: APA `(Smith, 2024)` → MLA `(Smith 42)` (page number, no comma)
- Is there a free APA to MLA tool?
- Yes — the full CiteDash citation converter at /tools/citation-converter handles this pair and 14+ other style conversions. It's free and requires no signup for single-citation use.
- Will this converter handle bulk bibliographies?
- The full converter at /tools/citation-converter supports bulk input (paste multiple citations, one per line) on the free tier. For very large bibliographies (500+ entries), the Pro plan removes rate limits.
- Why does my converted MLA 9th Edition citation look slightly different from my advisor's?
- Citation styles have variants — journal-specific house rules, institutional style guides, and edition differences. The canonical format produced here follows the official style manual; if your advisor uses a custom house style, spot-check a sample entry against their guidance.