MLA (Modern Language Association) style specifies guidelines for formatting papers and using the English language in writing. MLA style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.
Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of material by other writers.
If you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition). The MLA Handbook is available in the Library, it is also widely available in bookstores, libraries.
MLA Handbook 9th Edition
"MLA Handbook 9th Edition Simplified: Concise Guide to the MLA 9th Edition Handbook" is specifically designed for students and professional writers to quickly learn updated MLA Style in a convenient and easy way. With this guide, you will be able to format your paper according to the MLA style right away thanks to its easy-to-navigate structure and step-by-step guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format. MLA Handbook Ninth Edition Simplified offers general guidelines and multiple examples that allow writers: -to cite any type of work; -to format title pages, running head, headings, lists, etc.; -to learn more about in-text citations, quoting, paraphrasing; -to create Works Cited list in MLA format; -to use footnotes and endnotes; -to format tables, figures, and examples, etc. Includes MLA-formatted Sample Paper. Learn more about spelling, punctuation, capitalization, italics, abbreviations, numbers, etc.
.
Why cite sources?
Whenever you quote or base your ideas on another person's work, you must document the source you used. Even when you do not quote directly from another work, if reading that source contributed to the ideas presented in your paper, you must give the author(s) proper credit.
Citations allow readers to locate and further explore the sources you consulted, show the depth and scope of your research, and give credit to authors for their ideas. Citations provide evidence for your arguments and add credibility to your work by demonstrating that you have sought out and considered a variety of resources. In written academic work, citing sources is standard practice and shows that you are responding to this person, agreeing with that person, and adding something of your own. Think of documenting your sources as providing a trail for your reader to follow to see the research you performed and discover what led you to your original contribution.