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Good news: MLA 9 expands upon MLA 8. There are a few minor changes. The new handbook clarifies the elements and provides many, many examples. It also has a section on inclusive language.
Writers must be credited for their work and their writing.
Not to do so is to plagiarize.
Plagiarism is defined as intentionally or unintentionally using the ideas, language, or work of another without acknowledgement that such material is not one's own.
Whenever you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or otherwise refer to the work of another, you are required to cite its source. In research papers, any source information that you provide in an in-text citation must correspond to a source in your Works Cited page.
There are several common systems in use. At Otis College, the most common style is MLA (which is short for Modern Language Association), but you may come across others. There are style manuals for each style that you can use.
Follow your instructor's guidelines. Be consistent with whatever citation format you choose to use.
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MLA style was created by the Modern Language Association of America. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.
There are two parts to MLA: In-text citations and the Works Cited list.
In MLA, you must "cite" sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:
MLA Handbook, 9th ed. by
The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements--facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date--that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts--middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields--the ninth edition of the MLA Handbookoffers *New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language *Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group project *Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before *A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTubevideos, interviews, and more *Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources *Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work *Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes *Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism *A sample essay in MLA format *Annotated bibliography examples *Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation *Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars
Always give credit where credit is due.
Even if the source is in the public domain. Even when using the source is covered under fair use. Even if the material is released under a Creative Commons license that does not require attribution. Even when the source comes from social media, such as a Facebook or Tumblr post.
For more information, check our the Copyright and Fair Use guide.
Always check over auto-generated citations! Sometimes they make odd mistakes or capitalize all of the words. For instance, this auto-generated citation has parsed the author's name incorrectly.
Auto-generated version:
Megan, Thee S. "Why I Speak Up for Black Women: [Op-Ed]." New York Times, Oct 14, 2020. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/why-i-speak-up-black-women/docview/2450610941/se-2?accountid=25324.
Correct version:
Megan Thee Stallion. "Why I Speak Up for Black Women: [Op-Ed]." New York Times, Oct 14, 2020. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/why-i-speak-up-black-women/docview/2450610941/se-2?accountid=25324.
Some of our databases -- such as EBSCOhost, ProQuest, JSTOR, and Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints -- provide pre-formatted citations! Look for a link or button called "Cite" or "Citation."
Example: ProQuest databases
Many of these services also offer browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
In addition to this guide, the Library offers a variety of information literacy instruction.
You may also visit the Library for citation help, or use the Ask a Librarian form on the Library website.
See also:
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL) has excellent online manuals for these commonly used citation styles:
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