[header] How to differentiate mla from apa citation style [title] Note how the styles look when compared. [step] Both the styles can be differentiated by physical appearance. Formatting in apa essentially requires author's last name and initials of first and middle name while mla style identifies authors unambiguously. 
[title] Consider the main requirements of mla citation style. [substeps] For sources with the same author surnames include a first name initial.