MLA format provides writers with a system for cross-referencing their sources—from their parenthetical references to their works cited page. This cross-referencing system allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate sources for their own research projects.
The proper use of MLA style also shows the credibility of writers; such writers show accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism—the purposeful or accidental use of source material by other writers without giving appropriate credit.
Writers of research papers enter a community of reseachers by sharing the sources they’ve found. Plagiarism is a serious offense in the university system, and may result in punishments ranging from failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or expulsion from school.
There are many rules for following MLA format, it is nearly impossible to memorize them all. Students’ best course of action is to utilize the official MLA handbook or the MLA section in an updated composition textbook as guides. Since the Modern Language Association, a professional group of English and Foreign Language professors and instructors, periodically updates the guide, students should be certain that they are using the most current information possible. The most recent edition of the MLA guide was published in 2003.
Some commonly used citation formats include the web page example lists the author’s name (if available), the title of the article in quotation marks, the title of the web site underlined or italicized, the date of publication, the publisher, the date information was accessed by the user, and the web address in brackets. Students may not find all of this information when they look at a web page, particularly the author’s name, the date, and the publisher. In this case you should list in order the information that they do have.
MLA Powerpoint. 1995-2008. The OWL Lab at Purdue. 6 September 2007. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
