Modern Language Association
Having a topic and knowing the purpose of your writing is not the only thing you need to know to start writing a paper or essay. MLA provides the rules you must know regarding the conventions of language and the formation of citations. These writing conventions are provided to you in style guides. A style guide is a manual that establishes standard rules for spelling, punctuation, formatting, language, citations, and references. These manuals help to establish consistency on what is accepted, expected, and allowed in formal writing. There are several different types of style guides, including the Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) style guides, Chicago Manual, and Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. However, for this course, and for most literature and humanities courses in colleges and universities, the Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook is the accepted style guide.
“Flip” through the pages of the book to learn the basics of MLA style that you will need to know in successfully formatting your papers in this course. Click on the player button to begin.
Download a printable version of the interactivity above. This printable will be a good reference for future assignments.
MLA Style and Plagiarism
So, what is the point of using a style guide? As stated earlier, a style guide establishes the rules and guidelines you will use for spelling, language, citations, and formatting. Furthermore, by following the rules of a style guide, you are also preventing plagiarism in your writing.
Plagiarism is taking another person’s words or ideas, either intentional or unintentional, and passing it off as your own.
Additionally, claiming another’s work as your own, not citing paraphrased or summarized information from an original source, and not putting direct quotes in quotation marks with proper citations are all examples of plagiarism. By following a uniformed process for giving credit to your original sources, you help protect yourself from instances of plagiarism.
For more information on MLA style, you can purchase or find the MLA Handbook at your library, or you can visit the following website:
MLA Review
Check your knowledge of the common guidelines for writing a paper in MLA style. In the non-graded self-check below, choose the option that best answers each question, then click SUBMIT. Click the player button to get started.