The MLA Handbook for Writers is a guide to documentation for writers of research papers. You can find this handbook at most college and textbook bookstores, libraries, traditional bookstores and of course online through such sites as Amazon.com. You can find it in paperback and hardback or school and library bound. As of this writing the latest edition is Edition 6.
The MLA Handbook research paper guide is the choice of most high schools and colleges across the United States. The APA handbook or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is another handbook that is used for research papers but is a distance second to the MLA handbook.
Both of the texts are to be used as a reference, not bought and read cover to cover. They are there to assist you in writing research papers for the humanities, English, sociology and other such high school and college courses.
The MLA Handbook (Modern Language Association) is the authority on MLA documentation style. It addresses 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. Although prior editions can still be helpful some do not include the online resources that the world of today's research and education demand.
These are some of the new items in the most current edition, the sixth edition:
- A chapter on plagiarism that explains how to avoid this serious offense
- New annotated illustrations that clarify documentation style
- An updated and expanded discussion on using electronic sources, such as documents from Internet sites, home pages, articles from online periodicals, and works from subscription services
- A streamlined format for easier use