APA to MLA Converter
Paste an APA reference and get the MLA 9 Works Cited entry. Free APA to MLA converter that can restore full first names when the reference has a DOI.
Paste an APA reference to get an MLA citation
What changes from APA to MLA
APA and MLA describe the same source with mostly the same facts in a different order. APA puts the year straight after the authors and reduces first names to initials. MLA spells first names out, moves the date toward the end, and puts article titles in quotation marks. CiteTools reads the APA reference, identifies each part, and writes the MLA Works Cited entry.
- Author names: APA writes LeCun, Y. and MLA writes LeCun, Yann. The first author stays inverted and a second author turns to normal order.
- Author count: APA lists up to 20 authors. MLA lists one or two and shortens three or more to the first author plus et al.
- Date: APA places the year in parentheses after the authors. MLA places the date after the volume and issue.
- Titles: APA uses sentence case with no quotation marks. MLA uses title case and puts article titles in quotation marks.
- Volume and issue: APA writes 521(7553). MLA writes vol. 521, no. 7553.
- Pages: APA writes 436–444. MLA writes pp. 436–44.
The same reference, before and after
Before, in APA
LeCun, Y., Bengio, Y., & Hinton, G. (2015). Deep learning. Nature, 521(7553), 436–444. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14539
After, in MLA
LeCun, Yann, et al. “Deep Learning.” Nature, vol. 521, no. 7553, May 2015, pp. 436–44, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14539.
What an APA reference leaves out
An APA reference holds initials, and MLA gives each name as it appears on the source, usually in full. When the reference includes a DOI that matches it, CiteTools looks the work up and takes the names as the publisher’s record gives them. Without a DOI, compare every first name in the result with the source before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert a whole reference list?
Yes. Paste up to 100 references separated by blank lines and CiteTools converts each one. Keep the DOI on every reference that has one, because it is what lets the converter restore full first names.
Why did a first name stay as an initial?
The APA reference only gave an initial and had no DOI to look up. Add the DOI, or type the first name into the MLA entry yourself. MLA uses the name as it appears on the source.
Does the MLA entry keep the DOI?
Yes when the source has one. MLA 9 ends the entry with the DOI written as a full https://doi.org link, followed by a period.