The MLA Style Manual
Encyclopedia
The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2008) is the third edition of The MLA Style Manual, first published by the Modern Language Association of America
in 1985. It is an academic style guide
widely used in the United States, Canada, and other countries, providing guidelines for writing and documentation of research in the humanities
, especially in English studies
; the study of other modern language
s and literatures, including comparative literature
; literary criticism
; media studies
; cultural studies
; and related disciplines.
According to the MLA book catalogue description, since first being published in 1985, the MLA Style Manual has been "the standard guide for graduate students, scholars, and professional writers." MLA style "has been widely adopted by schools, academic departments, and instructors for over half a century"; the MLA's "guidelines are also used by over 1,100 scholarly and literary journals, newsletters, and magazines and by many university and commercial presses," and they are "followed throughout North America and in Brazil
, China
, India
, Japan
, Taiwan
, and other countries around the world" ("What Is MLA Style?").
The other publication is The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
, whose primary audience is secondary-school and undergraduate students and their teachers.
The most recently-published editions of both works have been updated and adapted to accommodate advancements in computer-generated word processing, electronic publishing, and related digital-publishing practices.
The third edition of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing was published in May 2008. According to the MLA's Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 Publications catalogue, "Only guides from the MLA are certain to present MLA Style accurately." According to the MLA book catalogue description, "Reorganized and revised, this new edition of the MLA Style Manual offers complete, up-to-date guidance to writing and documenting scholarly texts, preparing them for publication, submitting them to publishers, and dealing with complex legal issues. Previous editions sold more than 140,000 copies." It includes the following "new and notable" features:
and other modern languages and literatures. Many journals and presses in these disciplines require that manuscripts be submitted following MLA style.
Modern Language Association
The Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
in 1985. It is an academic style guide
Style guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...
widely used in the United States, Canada, and other countries, providing guidelines for writing and documentation of research in the humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, especially in English studies
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
; the study of other modern language
Modern language
A modern language is any human language that is currently in use. The term is used in language education to distinguish between languages which are used for day-to-day communication and dead classical languages such as Latin, Attic Greek, Sanskrit, and Classical Chinese, which are studied for...
s and literatures, including comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
; literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
; media studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
; cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
; and related disciplines.
According to the MLA book catalogue description, since first being published in 1985, the MLA Style Manual has been "the standard guide for graduate students, scholars, and professional writers." MLA style "has been widely adopted by schools, academic departments, and instructors for over half a century"; the MLA's "guidelines are also used by over 1,100 scholarly and literary journals, newsletters, and magazines and by many university and commercial presses," and they are "followed throughout North America and in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and other countries around the world" ("What Is MLA Style?").
Background
The MLA Style Manual is one of two official publications of the MLA presenting MLA documentation style written by Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Director of Book Acquisitions and Development ("Book Publications Program: General Information"), co-author with Walter S. Achtert of the first edition. The audience is primarily graduate students, academic scholars, professors, professional writers, and editors.The other publication is The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers is a publication of the Modern Language Association of America, based on The MLA Style Manual...
, whose primary audience is secondary-school and undergraduate students and their teachers.
The most recently-published editions of both works have been updated and adapted to accommodate advancements in computer-generated word processing, electronic publishing, and related digital-publishing practices.
The third edition of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing was published in May 2008. According to the MLA's Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 Publications catalogue, "Only guides from the MLA are certain to present MLA Style accurately." According to the MLA book catalogue description, "Reorganized and revised, this new edition of the MLA Style Manual offers complete, up-to-date guidance to writing and documenting scholarly texts, preparing them for publication, submitting them to publishers, and dealing with complex legal issues. Previous editions sold more than 140,000 copies." It includes the following "new and notable" features:
- A significant revision of MLA documentation style
- Simplified citation formats for electronic sources
- Detailed advice on the review process used by scholarly journals and presses
- A fully updIf you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition). Publishing scholars and graduate students should also consult the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd edition). The MLA Handbook is available in most writing centers and reference libraries; it is also widely available in bookstores, libraries, and at the MLA web site. See the Additional Resources section of this handout for a list of helpful books and sites about using MLA style.
Purpose
The MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd ed. (2008), by the Modern Language Association of America (based on the work of Joseph Gibaldi with co-author Walter S. Achtert for The MLA Style Manual [1985], revised in the 2nd ed. in 1998), is addressed primarily to academic scholars, professors, graduate students, and other advanced-level writers of scholarly books and articles in humanities disciplines such as EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and other modern languages and literatures. Many journals and presses in these disciplines require that manuscripts be submitted following MLA style.
External links
- "Frequently Asked Questions about the MLA Style Manual" – "MLA Style Manual FAQs" (official MLAModern Language AssociationThe Modern Language Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature...
Webpage) - "MLA Formatting and Style Guide" — The OWL at Purdue University. (Use information from 2009 updates for the most up to date information.)
- UC Berkeley guide on MLA citation style
- Long Island University MLA Citation Site