AP Style lowercases all prepositions, while MLA Style follows Chicago-like rules that only lowercase short prepositions. MLA is used for academic papers, AP for journalism.
AP Style title case capitalizes all major words while lowercasing articles, coordinating conjunctions, and all prepositions regardless of length. It is the standard of the Associated Press Stylebook.
AP Style is required by most American newspapers, digital news outlets, and press releases. Public relations professionals follow it because journalists expect it.
Open AP Style converterMLA Style capitalizes all principal words while lowercasing articles, prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions unless they open or close a title. It follows the Modern Language Association Handbook.
MLA Style is required for papers in English literature, film studies, and other humanities disciplines at most universities. It is the most common format for undergraduate academic writing.
Open MLA Style converterAP Style is required by most American newspapers, digital news outlets, and press releases. Public relations professionals follow it because journalists expect it.
All prepositions are lowercased, whether short or long. This is the key rule that distinguishes AP Style from Chicago Style.
MLA Style is required for papers in English literature, film studies, and other humanities disciplines at most universities. It is the most common format for undergraduate academic writing.
Verbs are always capitalized, including short ones like is and are. The rules closely resemble Chicago Style for most practical purposes.
Choose AP Style for journalistic and professional communications content.
Choose MLA Style for humanities papers, essays, and citations in courses that require MLA format.
Writers switching between journalism and academic writing will notice the preposition rule most. A title that is correctly formatted in AP Style may need revision for an MLA submission.