Style comparison
APA Style vs Wikipedia Style

Both APA Style and Wikipedia Style use sentence case, making them visually similar. However, APA is a formal citation standard, while Wikipedia Style is an encyclopedia editorial convention.

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APA Style
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Wikipedia Style
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APA Style
The social science standard

APA Style uses sentence case for titles in reference lists and most body contexts, capitalizing only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. It is published by the American Psychological Association.

APA Style is required for papers in psychology, education, sociology, and public health. It is the standard for dissertations in most social science departments.

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Wikipedia Style
Sentence case for encyclopedias

Wikipedia Style uses sentence case for all article titles and section headings, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns. It is the editorial standard of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikipedia Style applies to all Wikipedia articles and other Wikimedia projects. It is also adopted by technical documentation projects and wikis that want a neutral, readable tone.

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When to use APA Style

APA Style is required for papers in psychology, education, sociology, and public health. It is the standard for dissertations in most social science departments.

All words after the first are lowercase unless they are proper nouns or follow a colon. This makes APA titles look significantly different from title-case styles.

When to use Wikipedia Style

Wikipedia Style applies to all Wikipedia articles and other Wikimedia projects. It is also adopted by technical documentation projects and wikis that want a neutral, readable tone.

Only the first word and proper nouns receive capital letters. Common nouns that would be capitalized in title case remain lowercase.

Choosing between them

Choose APA Style for social science research papers and journal citations.

Choose Wikipedia Style for Wikipedia content and wiki documentation.

Despite looking similar, the two serve entirely different contexts. APA's sentence case is paired with detailed citation rules, while Wikipedia's sentence case is part of a broader editorial neutrality philosophy.