Mla Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

The MLA Handbook is published by the Modern Language Association, the authority on MLA documentation style. Widely adopted in high schools, colleges, and publishing houses, the MLA Handbook treats every aspect of research writing, from selecting a topic to submitting the completed paper. The expanded, revised, and redesigned sixth edition of the Handbook is a complete, up-to-date guide to documentation style and online research.

Gibaldi has been affiliated with the Modern Language Association's (MLA) Book Publishing and Research Program since 1976 and has been involved with every edition of the MLA Handbook. This classic tool for humanities scholars is a collaborative effort by MLA staff members and scholars, especially the Committee on Computers and Emerging Technologies in Teaching and Research. Core guidelines for formal research and writing are retained from earlier editions, but new rules have been developed for citing electronic material. Some sections have been expanded, and new summaries provide quick reference for key ideas, from selecting a topic to writing drafts. At the request of MLA members, an entire chapter addresses fundamental issues of academic honesty for a generation that has come of age amid Napster lawsuits and professional journalistic scandals. Plagiarism is defined in detail, along with examples of instances when source documentation is not needed and examples of copyright infringement. There is a new section on full-text databases and a revised section on evaluation of Internet resources for quality information. The "Citing Electronic Publications" section is more user-friendly and is now enhanced with annotated illustrations. Needed updates will be online at www.mla.org, but there is a growing demand for the entire content of this handbook to be available online as an electronic book. Essential for every high school and post-secondary library.-Betty J. Glass, Univ. of Nevada, Reno Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.