What Essay Format Do You Need Today?

MLA, APA, Harvard, and MHRA are the main referencing styles.

When writing essays for your class, you need to ensure that you know the required format. Usually, tutors give some clarifications on one of the four listed above styles before giving the assignment. They explain which essay format they want to be used.

Today, there are many ways to find our information and detailed guides regarding each format; it can be a school library or the internet. In particular, the Modern Humanities Research Association published their MHRA Style Book. It is available in bookshops or on the Internet.

The next sections of the article cover the most important points of the four essay formats. For more details, you can search the web; just make sure those sources are official and peer-reviewed.

MLA essay format reference system is a parenthetical system. In the body of your paper, bracketed references are linked to citations in the bibliography, which can be found at the end of your essay. The author’s last name or authors’ last name and the page number should be written in the bracket in the body of the paper.

A works cited page compiled according to MLA style lists items in alphabetical order, starting with the author’s last name. Every entry should have the following: first, the author’s last name and first name in full; second, the title of the book; third, the place of publication, the publisher; lastly, the date. There are many examples on the Internet. Students should pay attention to the way how the entry is punctuated, as it is a part of the system too.

APA essay format is another parenthetical system. In this case, the bracketed references in the body of the essay include: the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page or page numbers if you are quoting something directly. The reference is always inserted before the period at the end of the sentence.

A reference page written according to APA style lists all sources alphabetically. Every entry should have the following (the order is important): the author’s last name, their first initial, publication date in brackets, book’s title, the publication place, and the publisher.

Some students are afraid of Harvard academic essay format. They imagine immediately Harvard University and its advanced requirements and tough classes. In reality, this style has its own rules and, by following them, everyone can manage to provide a high-quality paper. The Harvard style includes the author’s last name and the publication date. The bibliography page at the end of the essay is headed ‘Reference list.’ The works should be listed in alphabetical order (the author’s surname and similar to the APA format).

Last, but not least, is the MHRA system which is also a proper essay format. In comparison with the other styles, bracketed references are not used in the MHRA system in the body of the paper. Superscript numbers are linked to a set of notes. Those can be found either at the foot of the page or at the end of the essay in a special section; the full reference for the article or book a student is referring to should be included there.