The MLA and APA format are both widely known to college students, I myself have used and studied
them many times. They serve as academically pleasing ways to present information in an appropriate and
professional way. Although, when using each of these formats it is clear to me the differences between
the two. In those differences it forces students to pay attention to details, this is not a bad thing but it can
be annoying with one of the formats. Paying close attention to certain details to what creates these
formats, but with the APA format, these details can be unnecessary at times. For example, a cover page
in my opinion is unnecessary. For it to be followed by an abstract is just ridiculous. Couldn't an abstract
be easily replaced by background paragraphs? I believe MLA should be the only format to follow and that
the APA format should be extinguished. Formats are not a waste of time but once it becomes overlydetailed, that is when it becomes a waste of time and annoying.
I don’t really have to much of an opinion on APA formatting because I have never had to use it. However,
from the videos and what I’ve read APA is way more complicated than MLA formatting. Having an extra
page for the tittle and an abstract seems like a bit much for a smaller essay, but I can understand using
APA for a dissertation or thesis. Currently I have only used MLA formatting and from my experience MLA
isn’t overly complicated or difficult. To me it makes sense to have an essay organized in a certain way,
especially when looking at it from a grading standpoint. If someone has to read 50 papers then it would
be nice to not have to search each paper to find simple information like the name of the author or what
source the information came from. I don’t think that MLA is a waste of time, as for APA I think that in most
cases it’s not necessary and a waste of time. It’s a good idea to have a standard format for essays, the
way I see things MLA has an easy enough formula to follow and there isn’t really a need to change it.
I have been fortunate enough to have used both MLA and APA formats in high school, and now I clearly
understand why and when each of the formats is used. From my experience and what I have heard from
teachers, MLA format is best if used when writing an essay or a paper as MLA offers an easy to use and
read format. The simplicity of the format means that students are quick to pick up on it, and it gets really
easy for them to remember how to use the format as they progress through their academic life. The
format's uniformity means teachers know where the specific details about the essay or paper are, such as
author, works cited, date and title, making it easier for them to read and evaluate them. For me, the most
significant difference in the APA format is the cover page. The cover page is supposedly intended to help
when writing a thesis or research paper of some kind in specific subject areas from what I have been
previously taught. That, to me, makes things overly complicated for no reason; all the extra bits of
information do not seem to impact the paper's overall quality or the way it is presented. That is why I
believe MLA should be the only format we should use when we as students write any sort of essay or
paper. Nevertheless, if the field or the type of paper calls for it, only a professional in said field should be
required to use the APA format.